Have you ever noticed that once you decide to buy a specific car model, you suddenly start seeing it everywhere on the road? Or why debates on social media rarely change anyone's mind?
Welcome to the world of Confirmation Bias.
What is Confirmation Bias?
Confirmation Bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values. It is one of the most common cognitive biases.
In simple terms: We love to be right. Our brains act like a lawyer trying to defend our existing beliefs, rather than a scientist trying to find the truth.
Why Does It Happen?
From an evolutionary perspective, processing every single piece of new information objectively is exhausting. Our brains are efficient energy-saving machines.
- Efficiency: It's faster to fit new info into existing frameworks than to rebuild the framework.
- Self-Esteem Protection: Being wrong feels bad. Our brain protects our ego by filtering out contradictory evidence.
Real-World Examples
Confirmation bias affects almost every decision we make:
- Social Media Algorithms: Platforms show you content you agree with to keep you engaged, creating "Echo Chambers."
- Investing: Investors often ignore negative news about a stock they already own, focusing only on the positive signs.
- Health: Hypochondriacs might search for symptoms online and ignore 99% of results saying "it's minor," focusing on the 1% that says "it's serious."
How to Overcome It
You cannot eliminate it entirely, but you can mitigate it:
- Seek Disconfirming Evidence: Actively search for "Why [my belief] might be wrong."
- Listen to Opposing Views: Don't just tolerate them; try to understand the logic behind them.
- The "Devil's Advocate": Before making a major decision, ask someone to argue against you.
By recognizing this bias, we can make smarter decisions and understand the world more accurately.