Primary Cognitive Biases That Affect Your Life In Every Way

Let’s face it: we rarely act rationally. Our actions are primarily backed by our thinking—specifically. our cognitive biases.

Being biased is not necessarily bad, but in order to make better decisions, you need to work on limiting these biases and opening yourself to others’ opinions.   

Let’s start small. In order to understand how your thought process affects your life as well as  others around you, understand the three biases you hold:

1.       Confirmation Bias

In simple terms, confirmation bias is your tendency to seek out information that confirms your existing opinions and beliefs. While confirmation bias is actually helpful to keep yourself out of danger, it also what causes you to engage with the wrong people and shun the ones who would have made great company.

Be open to letting go of your confirmation bias, and you’ll come off as more accessible and open to ideas.   

2.       Recency Bias

Recency bias is your tendency to focus on the latest events and information when evaluating something. Take your relationship with your coworker, for example, someone who was going through a low point in their life the past couple of weeks, and you consider their recent behavior when judging their character.

Recency bias is also used in professional scenarios, where a manager judges an employee based on his or her performance during the brief time prior to a performance review in lieu of looking at their overall demeanor. Needless to say, the temporary nature of this bias can be damaging when good people are labeled bad and vice versa.

3.     Bandwagon Bias

Also known as the “because everyone else is doing it” bias, bandwagon bias often contradicts the “self-certain” label most of us stick on ourselves. We call ourselves unique and unaffected, and yet we fall victim to the bandwagon effect. The bandwagon bias is particularly common among teenagers and, to some extent, young adults who are trying to fit in.

This bias is created out of the fear of humiliation and rejection because your brain wants to keep you safe. It’s easier to jump on board with other peoples’ ideas and justify this decision by telling yourself that this is what you want.

At the end of the day, find a balance between your cognitive biases with critical questions about fairness about giving people a chance. By being more open to others’ feelings and ideas, you might just be able to find and fix your own flaws.

Need to learn more about refining your thought process and becoming more empathetic? Steve Rizzo’s powerful motivational keynotes have moved business professionals from all walks of life.

Check out his speaking programs today!