When you want to sound precise and scientific, instead of calling something a guideline or a shortcut or a rule of thumb, you could call it a heuristic. For example, if you're talking about Marie Kondo's advice to throw stuff away unless it sparks joy, that's a heuristic: it's a way of quickly making a choice or solving a problem.

"Heuristic" is a common, formal word, found often in discussions of psychology and computer programming.

But it's also jargony, so it's off-putting to some readers. You might want to avoid it if you're aiming for clarity or simplicity. In fact, if the word "guideline" or "shortcut" would work just fine, but you say "heuristic" instead, you're likely to make your listeners roll their eyes.

If you say that someone is using or relying on a heuristic, you may be implying that they're acting like a computer program, or acting like a psychologically programmed being, which, you know, we all are! But the point is, you're suggesting that they're doing things exactly the way they've been taught—but not necessarily that they're making the best possible choice for this exact situation. In fact, someone who follows, abides by, or implements a heuristic may be behaving robotically, without careful thought. In the worst cases, heuristics are actually pitfalls, or cognitive biases, like "It's expensive, so it must be valuable;" or "It's familiar, so I prefer it;" or "He's an expert, so he must be right."

"For many consumers, Levinovitz notes, the word 'natural' has become a heuristic: a mental shortcut for deciding if something is good or safe."
   — Jennifer Kahn, New York Times, 20 July 2021

"[I wind up] trying to strike a 'balance' between deliciousness and nutritiousness (a dusting of parmesan on the broccoli is reasonable; but shredded cheddar is too much, etc). This tension spoils the elegant 'fill half your plate with veg' heuristic, because the veg half is always smuggling in stuff from the other half." 
   — David Cain, Raptitude, 8 December 2022

has this page helped you understand "heuristic"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "heuristic" without saying "method for making a choice" or "rule for navigating a situation."

try it out:

As I mentioned, the word "heuristic" can imply that people are behaving like thoughtless computer programs, or perhaps like bees: just obeying orders and following procedures. 

"Heuristic" takes on an even darker, more threatening tone in the novel The Hive, by Barry Lyga and Morgan Baden. In the story, the acronym "HIVE" stands for "Heuristic Internet Vetting Engine," a tool for people to upvote or downvote each other's comments on social media, then form a justice-seeking mob to hunt down the most unpopular people.

So, what do you think? Do the authors have a good point when they suggest that heuristics can be unjust, dangerous, and bad for society? Or is that too much of a stretch? Why?

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for February: Word Choice Chuckles!

I’ll give you a snippet of text that I spotted in the wild, with one word or phrase removed and its meaning described. See if you can fill in a word or phrase that'll give the reader a good chuckle. Be cheesy. Be punny. Get in there and make me proud.

Here's an example:

"This comes at a time of _____ in the mattress industry." 
   — Dan Solomon, Texas Monthly, 15 December 2017

Meaning of the missing word: "strife."

Answer: "unrest."

Try this one today:

"To call attention to the vintage of our whines—or, if you prefer, how long our _____ have been fermenting—is just one of many possible responses when we hear sweeping claims about how children nowadays are spoiled because parents fail to set limits."
   — Alfie Kohn, The Myth of the Spoiled Child, 2014

Meaning of the missing word: "complaints."

To see the answer, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. Generally speaking, the opposite of proceeding heuristically is

A. proceeding thoughtfully, in a case-by-case manner.
B. proceeding dutifully, in compliance with requirements.
C. proceeding robotically, without regard for special exceptions.

2. On the TV show "Scrubs," Dr. Cox offers J.D. a heuristic: "_____."

A. They hate you. They hate from the bottom of your hooves to the top of your pitchfork

B. Newbie, do you happen to know what a zebra is? It's a diagnosis of a ridiculously obscure disease when it's much more likely that the patient has a common illness presenting with uncommon symptoms. In other words, if you hear hoofbeats, you just go ahead and think horsies. Not zebras

C. Yes, I did [get your memo]. At first I just threw it away, but then I thought, that's not grand enough a gesture, so I made a model of you out of straw, put my lab coat on it, with your memo in the pocket, and invited the neighborhood kids to set fire to it and beat it with sticks

Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. B Word Choice Chuckle: "To call attention to the vintage of our whines—or, if you prefer, how long our gripes have been fermenting—is just one of many possible responses when we hear sweeping claims about how children nowadays are spoiled because parents fail to set limits."    — Alfie Kohn, The Myth of the Spoiled Child, 2014

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.