Law of Triviality
Also known as Parkinson's law of triviality
Not a bias
An observation by C. Northcote Parkinson that groups give too much time to trivial issues and too little to big, complex ones, so the time spent on an item can shrink as its cost grows. It is also called the bike-shedding effect.
Parkinson offered this as satire, and it has had little direct testing, though some decision research finds a similar pattern.
In everyday life
A city council spends most of a session on the wording of a park bench plaque and passes the annual budget with little discussion.
In your department's budget review, a multi-million-dollar software contract passes with barely a question, while the $200 line for team snacks sparks a forty-minute argument.
Why your mind does this
Simple, clear options are faster to understand and easier to act on, and when time is short that speed matters. Known odds and complete information feel safer because they let us predict what will happen. Preferring the clear option often saves effort that would be wasted on puzzles we can't solve.
Its family, in 30 seconds: Simple & complete
How to spot it
Compare how long a discussion runs with how much money or risk is actually at stake.
What you can do
Put the costliest item first on the agenda, while people are fresh and focused.
Same family: Simple & complete
SourceWikipedia