What is the ostrich effect?

The tendency to avoid negative or unpleasant information — "burying your head in the sand" — hoping that not knowing keeps the problem at bay.

Why do we avoid bad news?

Because avoidance spares immediate anxiety and loss aversion makes facing a potential loss feel worse than quietly ignoring it — the relief is now, the cost is later.

How do you overcome the ostrich effect?

Treat the urge to avoid as a flag that the issue needs attention, schedule a fixed time to face it, and remember problems usually grow while ignored.

The ostrich effect

Decision-making

The ostrich effect is the tendency to avoid negative information — to "bury your head in the sand" rather than face something unpleasant. We dodge the bank balance, the medical result, the hard feedback, hoping not-knowing keeps the problem away.

By the ReadGlobe Editors · Reviewed 2026-05-29

Why it happens

Avoiding bad news spares short-term anxiety, and loss aversion makes confronting a potential loss feel worse than the slow cost of ignoring it. The relief is immediate; the price is deferred.

Avoidance feels like safety but is usually most dangerous — the problems you won't look at compound while you look away.

Examples

Not checking your investment account when markets fall.
Avoiding the doctor about a worrying symptom.
Ignoring an overdue bill or a difficult email rather than opening it.

How to counter it

Treat the urge to avoid as a signal that the thing needs attention.
Set a fixed time to face the information, removing the moment-to-moment choice.
Remember not-knowing rarely shrinks a problem — it usually grows it.

The deeper point

It inverts the real risk: avoidance feels like safety but is usually the most dangerous option, because the problems we refuse to look at are precisely the ones compounding while we look away.

Frequently asked

What is the ostrich effect?: The tendency to avoid negative or unpleasant information — "burying your head in the sand" — hoping that not knowing keeps the problem at bay.
Why do we avoid bad news?: Because avoidance spares immediate anxiety and loss aversion makes facing a potential loss feel worse than quietly ignoring it — the relief is now, the cost is later.
How do you overcome the ostrich effect?: Treat the urge to avoid as a flag that the issue needs attention, schedule a fixed time to face it, and remember problems usually grow while ignored.

Confirmation bias Loss aversion Negativity bias Inversion Margin of safety

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Where it’s shows up in

See this alongside the other thinking tools of career growth and productivity.

Where it bites

This bias distorts investing.

The books behind better thinking

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Prefer to read? The canonical picks:

Thinking, Fast and Slow — Daniel Kahneman
The Art of Thinking Clearly — Rolf Dobelli
The Great Mental Models, Volume 1 — Shane Parrish
Poor Charlie’s Almanack — Charlie Munger
Super Thinking — Gabriel Weinberg & Lauren McCann
Seeking Wisdom — Peter Bevelin

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Cite this page

APA

ReadGlobe. (2026). The ostrich effect. https://readglobe.com/bias/ostrich-effect/

MLA

"The ostrich effect." ReadGlobe, 29 May 2026, readglobe.com/bias/ostrich-effect/.

Primary source: Wikipedia

Editorial synthesis © ReadGlobe 2026, drawing on Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow, the Tversky–Kahneman research program, and the primary cognitive-science literature. · Last reviewed 2026-05-29.