So here is your challenge for today: Identify one massumption you hold about your career, your health, or your politics. Just one.
A massumption is a belief that becomes "true" simply because a large number of people act as if it is true. It’s the silent software running our collective brain. It’s why markets crash, why trends explode overnight, and why smart people often make very dumb decisions together. massumptions
April 14, 2026
We’ve all heard the old warning: “Never assume, because it makes an ass out of you and me.” So here is your challenge for today: Identify
This is the belief that the current way of working, living, or governing is the only way. We assume the five-day work week is natural. We assume college is the only path to success. We assume the political system can’t change. The crowd isn't agreeing; it's just asleep. It’s the silent software running our collective brain
This is the most profitable one for media companies. A single event happens (a bank fails, a virus mutates, a crime spikes in one city) and within 48 hours, the massumption is that the entire system is collapsing . The crowd confuses activity with danger. The Cost of Believing the Crowd Here’s the brutal truth: Massumptions are cognitive shortcuts. Your brain is lazy. It’s easier to look at what 1,000 people are doing than to do the hard work of thinking from first principles.