Wellness Corner 55: Cognitive Biases
Hey Falcons,
Wellness links closely to psychology and behavioral science. When we make decisions to promote wellness in our lives, we’re using processes that those in these fields of study specialize in. One such element to our decision-making process is cognitive bias.
Cognitive biases are thinking patterns or mental shortcuts that our brains use to make decisions or judgments. They can sometimes lead us to make mistakes or reach inaccurate conclusions without even realizing it. Here are a few!
Confirmation Bias: When we only pay attention to information confirming our beliefs or opinions. It's like wearing "confirmation goggles" that filter out anything we don't want to see.
Availability Heuristic: When we judge the likelihood of something based on how easily we can recall examples of it from memory. For example, if we see news reports about car accidents often, we might start to believe that accidents are very common, even if statistics say otherwise.
Anchoring Bias: When we rely too heavily on the first piece of information we receive when making decisions, even if it's not relevant or accurate. If a store initially prices a shirt at $100 and then puts it on sale for $50, we might think it's a great deal because we ‘anchored' to the original higher price.
Halo Effect: This bias happens when we let our overall impression of a person, thing, or brand influence our judgment of specific traits. If we think a celebrity (say, Margot Robbie) is attractive and successful, we might also assume they are intelligent and kind…even if there’s no evidence to support it. Maybe that’s why they say not to meet your heroes.
Overconfidence Bias: This bias occurs when we have excessive confidence in our own abilities or judgments. We tend to believe we are better at something than we actually are, leading us to take risks or make decisions without considering potential problems or limitations.
Can you recall examples of when one or more of these cognitive biases impacted your decision-making? Here’s an interesting way to turn your cognitive biases into your superpowers. Whether you turn them into superpowers or not, the important thing for us is to be aware of these biases and try to think critically and objectively to make better decisions.
Stay well,
Eshaan
