Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

122 Nirvana Fallacy

The tendency to disregard good solutions because they fall short of perfection.

The nirvana fallacy is the tendency to criticize, devalue, and delay otherwise good solutions because they compare unfavorably to idealized solutions. It typically manifests as a choice between a realistic, imperfect solution and an unrealistic, perfect solution. Since nothing, in reality, can ever compare to perfection — i.e., nirvana — the end result is usually to do nothing. This problem of doing nothing or not starting is common with people suffering from clinical perfectionism, who experience self-defeating thoughts and behaviors in pursuit of unrealistic goals.1

The nirvana fallacy can be understood as a bias or tendency, as it often occurs ...