Most people who ask for personal advice do so because they already know what the answer is going to be, and they like that answer. If you ever get the impulse to ask for advice, double check why it is you pick the audience you do and whether or not you already have a good idea of what they'll say.

This goes doubly for taking advice on the internet, because there are a greater variety of audiences to ask, and you can predict their responses more accurately than you can predict a person's - crowds are more consistent than people - so you have a greater ability to pick your desired response in not just one but two dimensions, certainty and fidelity.

C.f. Should You Reverse Any Advice You Hear?

Modified: 2024-04-18