--- > According to the *law of the instrument*, when we acquire a new skill, we tend to see opportunities to use it everywhere. This bias is also known as “the law of the hammer”, “the golden hammer”, or “Maslow’s hammer”, in reference to psychologist Abraham Maslow’s famous quote: “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail” - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h6xdca1ap9abbsepdm0aqd31) - _Tags_: `favorite` --- > Déformation professionnelle can lead to the law of the instrument when people with a certain area of expertise attempt to generalize their field-specific skills in other contexts. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h6xder63jr2gp9brgatrbwzy) --- > Another bias that may give rise to the law of the instrument is the Einstellung effect. Einstellung is the German word for “attitude”, and this effect refers to how our past experiences can prevent us from reaching the best solution to a given problem. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h6xdf5nqq7yf4wyqkvfge1bz) --- > The Einstellung can result in the law of the instrument, as associating a current problem with a past problem can lead us to attempt to reuse a tool or skill that worked in the past to solve the problem at hand. However, even though the situations may be similar, there is no guarantee that the best solution will be the same. Instead of resorting to a strategy that worked well in the past, it is better to consider several possible approaches and select the one that fits the current context best. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h6xdge84pxe26zg49dzrn9q2) ---