How often do you revert to mediocrity?

If you’re confused, then let me clarify.

In statistics, reversion to the mean or reversion to mediocrity is the phenomenon that arises if a sample point of a random variable is extreme (nearly an outlier), in which case a future point is likely to be closer to the mean or average.

In everyday language, this means that if you do something outstanding or outside of your norm, then eventually, you’ll revert to the average you.

Why am I sharing a statistical phenomenon with you?

I’m sharing because the phenomenon of reversion to average will be your biggest challenge if you’re attempting to improve any area of your life.

For example, you might commit to improving your health, and so for a set amount of time, you increase the amount of exercise you do and pay very close attention to your food intake. This kind of behavior is an outlier for you, but then, over time, you begin to revert to your mean.

Why does this occur, and how to prevent it?

It occurs because your commitment is temporary, and the way to prevent it is to change your average or setpoint.

Battling reversion to mean is like fighting gravity. No matter how hard you try to escape it, its force will always be present. And that means if you want to change any area of your life, you must be constantly vigilant of its presence.

While the idea of reversion to the mean might seem disheartening, knowing the phenomenon exists is beneficial for you. Before Newton, humans knew that objects fell to the ground, but they didn’t know why. Once he defined the law of gravity, humans could account for it and, as flight and space travel has shown, even escape it.

So, when you attempt to make any changes in your life, don’t forget to account for and don’t fall prey to the phenomenon of reversion to the mean. Exert the additional effort required to change your setpoint average and continue to push forward towards lasting change.

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