Cognitive Bias: Definition, Examples & Common Types of Bias

Cognitive Bias

We all crave sugar. Humans need sugar to live, so evolution gave us the craving for it. Sugar was relatively scarce in the environment in which humans evolved, so our metabolism adapted to convert excess calories from sugar quickly and efficiently into fat.  Fast forward 100,000 years: sugar is now abundant in our environment. But …

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Appeal to Popularity: Don’t Jump on the Bandwagon

Appeal to Popularity Fallacy

“Be careful when you follow the masses. Sometimes the ‘M’ is silent.”  -Anonymous (perhaps Unanimous) I had a conversation with my friend, Majority: Me: “Buying a house is not always the best investment.” Majority: “Most people want to buy a house, so it must be the best investment. It’s just common knowledge.” This is an …

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Hasty Generalization: Definition, Examples, and How to Avoid It

Hasty Generalization

I had a conversation the other day with my friend, Hasty: Me: “Canada has a good public health system: they provide care to 100% of their population.” Hasty: “The Canadian healthcare system sucks! One of my friends from Canada goes to the United States for every medical procedure he needs; otherwise, he’d have to wait …

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Self Deception: Definition, Examples, and Breaking the Cycle of Self Deception

Self Deception

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool.”  -Richard Feynman  When I was a boy, my parents often praised me for being intelligent: “Vishal, you’re so smart”; “You’re an intelligent boy”; “You’re as bright as kids come.”  Later, I learned their well-intentioned compliments were setting me …

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