5 Common Cognitive Biases and Why They Can Be Harmful

Gain awareness of your flawed thinking through psychology!

One of my favourite things to learn about in my psychology classes are cognitive biases. These are ways that are brains are intrinsically wired to think that are occasionally helpful, but sometimes harmful if we're not aware of them.

Below are some of the most common biases, along with reasons why they could be leading you to your downfall (BWAHAHA!)

WHAT IT IS:

The status quo bias is the idea that most people don't really like change. We're more likely to want to keep things the same way they've always been, even if the current state of affairs might not be helpful.

It's also the idea that people are kind of lazy and will always take the easier route. That's why countries that require people to opt into becoming an organ donor have the lowest rates of donors (42%), whereas countries with an opt-out procedure have the highest rates (82%).

Maybe you like to order the same thing at a restaurant every time you go rather than try something new. Or maybe you believe that preserving tradition is more important than finding a new way to do things. The explanation for the status quo bias is that it's all about loss aversion: we're afraid that if we change, we're risking losing something that we already have. But the thing about the status quo bias is that it also might be preventing us from experiencing a much better, beneficial experience.

HOW IT CAN HARM US:

The tendency to just stick with how things are or "our usual" is tempting because change often comes with risk. But just as risky is staying in a situation that could be even worse for us in the long-run than another option.

Sometimes the status quo bias is helpful because it keeps us from making decisions that could result in negative outcomes. But it also can keep us is disadvantegous situations simply because it's all we have known.

I like the comic below from The Decision Lab because it illustrates why the status quo bias can really fail us:

WHAT IT IS:

Have you ever invested a lot of time, effort, or money into something and realized that it's just not worth it? But since you spent so much time and money on it, you're like, well, I might as well continue?

This is called the "sunk cost bias", and it's the reason why we wear shoes we spent a lot of money on even though they're hurting our feet, or force ourselves to watch the rest of a really horrible movie since we've already invested time into it.

But it can be even more extreme than that - people use the sunk cost bias to justify staying in unhappy relationships or careers.

HOW IT CAN HARM US:

As humans we're innately loss averse, and so the idea of wasting time or energy can be really painful. But break it down for a moment: does continuing to waste your time and energy with something that isn't serving you make up for the time and energy you have already wasted?

Nope, not really.

Dr. Margie Warrell on Forbes.com writes, "While calling it quits on something you've invested in can be painful, it frees up your resources to pursue new opporutnities and create fresh beginnings that will make you wonder why you ever held on for so long."

WHAT IT IS:

Confirmation bias is one that I think everyone struggles with, especially in an age of social media algorithims and biased media. We tend to only process or find information that confirms our preexisting beliefs, and ignore or discredit anything that doesn't.

There are three types of confirmation bias.

• Selective Search: We only look or read information that matches what we believe in. Or we type things into Google in a very biased way, such as searching "is coffee bad for you" rather than "effects of coffee on health".

• Biased Interpretation: Even when reading the same article as somebody else, we will interpret it differently based on preexisting opinions formed before reading the article. We might find ways to discredit certain points that don't match with our beliefs, or overfocus on the things that do.

• Biased Recall: It's easier for us to remember information that matches what we already believe. We don't tend to recall items that may discredit our opinions.

HOW IT CAN HARM US:

Confirmation bias can lead us to become really isolated from varying points of view. They also prevent us from being able to engage with or understand other people's opinions and beliefs. As well, it can keep us from developing as a person, especially when we hold onto harmful ideas that may not be based in fact or reality.

I challenge you to seek out information from a variety of sources and talk to people with a variety of different backgrounds and viewpoints. Additionally, I challenge you to listen before you speak or try to debate someone. Opinions are meant to grow and change as we mature and gain new knowledge. They're not supposed to be walls around us that keep outside information from getting in. Challenge your confirmation bias!

WHAT IT IS:

Picture this: it's your first day at a fancy new job and that morning you had a huge fight with your spouse right before leaving the house. You show up late and you're irritated throughout the day.

Is your irritation and tardiness due to your personality, or due to situational factors?

Okay, now other way around. You're an employee at a high-end company and you're meeting their newest hire. The first thing you notice is that they show up late. Secondly, they're super rude and quiet.

What do you do? Assume that something must have happened, or attribute their behaviour to some sort of innate character trait?

Well, according to the fundamental attribution error, you're more likely to see other people's behaviour as something to do with their personality, whereas you see your own behaviour as situational and excusable.

HOW IT CAN HARM US:

The fundamental attribution error can make us really unempathetic towards others. When someone does something to really piss us off, we might think, "That person sucks and doesn't care about anyone!" But what if we thought for a second and thought, "Wow, that person's behaviour today wasn't really great. I wonder what may have caused them to act that way?"

If someone in your life does something you don't like, maybe ask them what's going on before you make assumptions about who they are.

Additionally, hold yourself accountable for your actions. If you repeatedly do something, the fundamental attribtuion error might make others believe that's a part of who you are, even if it's something you don't do very often or is very unlike you. Making excuses won't help. Your actions speak first, not the beliefs you hold about your character.

WHAT IT IS:

After answering a question wrong during trivia, the correct answer seems startlingly apparent. Our memory of when we made this judgment becomes biased toward the correct answer once we learn the information.

HOW IT CAN HARM US:

We can turn this bias against ourselves when we beat ourselves up for doing or saying the wrong thing. "I should have done this. It's so obvious!" Or, "I should have known. If only I hadn't been so stupid."

But why distrust your past judgments? Perhaps at the time, you were making the best decision you had with the information you were currently provided.

The mistakes we made in the past may have been due to the limited information provided at that moment, information that only foresight could provide.

Which of the above biases do you find yourself using most often?

Being more mindful of common thinking traps and biases can help us be better people to each other and to ourselves. We're not always rational, even when we think we are.

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