Step 3: Confirmation Bias

Wherein lies the danger of the confirmation bias: the art of making decisions based on emotions, not facts.

Causes of Confirmation Bias:

• Emotions over facts
• Confirmation bias is often caused by emotions, which can cloud our judgment.
• Availability heuristic
• The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that relies on how vividly we remember an event, rather than its actual probability.
• Illusory correlation
• Illusory correlation is when we overestimate the frequency of a particular event or pattern because we've experienced it recently or vividly.

Examples of Confirmation Bias:

• Overestimating the chances of a particular outcome
• Believing a particular outcome is more likely than it actually is
• Dismissing evidence that contradicts your beliefs

Subpages:

Step 4: Self-Perpetuating Bias, Step 5: Anchoring Bias