Fresh research suggests our bias for action is emotional, not rational.
Even if doing nothing has a higher success rate in certain circumstances, people will act. That way, if failure occurs, they can not be accuse of “doing nothing”. So, we have a bias for action – even if it is the wrong choice – because of peer influences.
Think of a governmental official who knows a new law may not help – and may even make things worse. They may pass the law so they can not be accused of not doing anything – even if not doing anything was the most prudent choice.