Maybe you don’t have the time to actually click a link to read the content that could potentially be worthwhile to you. Maybe you aren’t interested in the title or assume that the content doesn’t help you in any way. Or maybe there is something else at play…

Philosophical Engineering

But before that bitter taste of another “selling a product scam” hits my tongue and I decide to not click a particular online link, it can be hard to differentiate between a response where I would be curious about the link vs. another where I am hesitant because of what happened when I clicked it in the past.

It’s humbling to me when I read psychology text books and realize that when Pavlov’s dogs are salivating at the sound of a bell, that I could also be the one possibly salivating as a result of some sort of conditioning. That my actions can be triggered based on certain conditioning I’ve been subjected to.

So whether the conditions be fear, jealousy or even selfishness that prevents me from clicking a link online that could potentially benefit me, before I choose to click or not click something, I try and think about what is “really” ringing in my head. Maybe then, the bell might go off.