We all have biases. Some are conscious and some are subconscious.
But cognitive biases can help you see the forest when you’re in the trees, or they can make it seem like everything is conspiring against you, or they can make you feel like you’re right no matter how wrong you actually are.
So let’s talk about them! You’ll be surprised to learn how these little quirks of human psychology can impact your decisions, your communication, and even your relationships with other people.
Cognitive bias is a fancy term for the little mental tricks we use to make sense of the world. It’s what makes us think that a single piece of information is enough to make a decision—that we don’t have to consider all the other factors at play.
The problem with cognitive biases is that they can get in the way of seeing things from an objective viewpoint. They can prevent us from making good decisions, and they can even stop us from communicating effectively.
Let’s take a look at some examples:
False generalization (the law of small numbers) – This one might be familiar to you if you’ve ever said “It’ll probably rain tomorrow.” Or maybe not: Maybe you’re still under the impression that everything will always be sunny on your birthday. Either way, this cognitive bias may cause you to overlook important information when making decisions.
Anchoring bias – The anchoring effect refers to how easily we get swayed by an initial response or impression. It’s easy to think back on a time when you knew something was true, then recall it as fact later on even though it might not have been true at all! Anchoring bias can cause us to make decisions based on misinformation instead of considering all available information
In business, there are plenty of ways to make bad decisions. But one of the most common is a bias that can make all the difference: cognitive bias.
Cognitive bias is a fancy way of saying we humans are fallible. We can’t help but let our brains overestimate certain things—and when it comes to making decisions, these biases can have huge consequences for our businesses.
For example, consider anchoring and adjustment: when you’re faced with a choice between two options, you may remember your first exposure to one option more vividly than the other. This means that if you choose to base your decision on that first memory, you’re likely to end up choosing your first exposure instead of the other option.
This is just one example of how our brains can be tricked by cognitive bias—but there are many others!
Have you ever had an argument with a friend, who was just too darn smart for their own good?
You know how it goes: You disagree with them on something big and important, and they counter by citing some fact or statistic that makes it seem like your position is ridiculous.
But wait! What if there was a way to stop this problem from happening in the first place?
Cognitive bias is the reason we can’t seem to get past our egos and look at things objectively. But cognitive bias isn’t all bad—it’s actually a huge help when it comes to making decisions!
If we’re able to spot our own biases, we can use them to our advantage by being more engaged with the world around us.
