Cognitive biases are systematic errors in thinking and perception of reality that are inherent to every person. They occur because our brain tries to conserve resources and process huge streams of information using simple mental shortcuts and heuristics. Understanding these mechanisms is critically important for making rational decisions and protecting against manipulation.
There are several most common types of cognitive biases that we regularly encounter in everyday life.
•Confirmation bias is expressed in our tendency to seek out and notice only the information that completely matches our current views while ignoring contrary facts.
•Availability heuristic causes us to overestimate the probability of events that easily pop into memory, such as the fear of plane crashes while ignoring traffic accident statistics.
•Anchoring effect manifests in the fact that the first number or condition we hear exerts a disproportionately strong influence on all subsequent evaluation of the situation.
•Loss aversion describes a psychological phenomenon where the pain of losing a hundred rubles is felt much more acutely than the joy of unexpectedly receiving the same amount.
•Bandwagon effect or conformity causes a person to automatically make decisions or change their opinion simply because most people around them are doing so.
•Survivorship bias occurs when we draw global conclusions based on the success of only those few who passed a rigorous selection process, completely ignoring the failures.
Knowing these mental traps allows us to stop in time and ask ourselves questions about the purity of our own conclusions. Awareness of how our brain works under the influence of evolutionary mechanisms makes us less vulnerable to advertising, propaganda, and incorrect strategic steps.