Redirecting Loss Aversion

Brain research tells us that people hate losing more than just about anything. That makes our job as change makers harder, since change can trigger people’s fears about what a move away from the status quo might cost them. To counter instinctive loss aversion, we have to be ready to name what people will lose if they don’t support change, like their kids’ bright future or the future of the community they love. Leaders who are skilled at redirecting loss aversion can neutralize a lot of the fears that stop our progress to justice.