How mental models work?
A mental model is not necessarily founded on facts or complete understanding of reality. Let's be honest, most of our mental models are flawed in many ways, and that's perfectly normal. They work because they are fast and simple and not because they are a complete representation of the reality. This is why when people choose between cars, they will not always choose the same car. Also, this is why UFO cults exist. The most important thing about a person's mental model is that it's simplified and very limited compared to what it models.
We will get back to UFO cults shortly, but we also need to mention the cognitive flexibility present in almost all humans above the age of 12 months: using a mental model doesn't exclude another mental model. We can think about two concepts simultaneously or switch between concepts without effort. This is why we can take many factors into account when buying a car. We can look at the brand, price, fuel type, color, and many other categories...
