What Are Cognitive Biases? Mistakes in reasoning, evaluating or remembering

Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts or tendencies that our brain uses to process information and make judgments. They can lead us to make poor decisions, overlook important details, and draw incorrect conclusions.

Introduction

Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts or tendencies that our brain uses to process information and make judgments. These biases can affect our reasoning and decision-making skills and lead us to make judgments that are not based on objective reality.

Some common cognitive biases include confirmation bias, where we tend to seek out and pay more attention to information that supports our existing beliefs and ignore information that contradicts them; the sunk cost bias, where we are more likely to continue investing time, money, or effort into something because we have already invested a lot in it, even if it is not rational to do so; and the framing effect, where our decision-making is influenced by how information is presented to us.

Other examples of cognitive biases include the availability heuristic, the anchoring bias, and the halo effect. You can find more information about these and other cognitive biases on Wikipedia or by web search. Wikipedia lists over 180 cognitive biases.

The impact of cognitive biases

The impact of cognitive biases on our reasoning capability can be significant. They can lead us to make poor decisions, overlook important information, and draw incorrect conclusions.

Additionally, cognitive biases can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts in conversation with others, as we may interpret their words and actions differently due to our biases.

The evolution of cognitive biases

From an evolutionary perspective, cognitive biases are a strange phenomenon.

Our reasoning ability is riddled with so many cognitive biases that our ability as individuals to make sound sense of the world is severely impacted.

It seems strange that evolution would have done a sloppy job on one of the human mind’s crucial capabilities.

Unless, of course, these seeming design flaws were not flaws at all but features.

Resources

• Wikipedia: Cognitive bias
• Wiley Onlne Library: The Evolution of Cognitive Bias