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Heuristic Hacks

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Confirmation Bias

We tend to notice evidence that supports our preconceived notions and dismiss/disregard evidence that goes against them. In essence, we see what we wish to see, and we ignore what we don't want to see.

Confirmation Bias is a parent to many illusions and biases and it affects our core cognitive function – attention, or our ability to select or ignore the information. When we confirm or disconfirm our ideas or feelings with selective information, we start holding on to those feelings/ideas more strongly.

There are many day-to-day examples of Confirmation Bias. If you believe that electronics are expensive, you might only notice the premium products that cost a lot. If you believe millennials have no discipline, you might only remember stories where a millennial acted irrationally. If people believe medicines will always cause bad side effects, they will overestimate the impact of minor side effects or forget those moments when they took a pill and didn't even realize that they felt better.

How to hack the Confirmation Bias?

Confirmation Bias is a source of limited perspectives, belief in misinformation, and extreme opinions. People often see medical information or policies through the lens of Confirmation Bias. Even though countering this bias is hard, one can take some steps to navigate through it with success. Every time you have a preconceived notion, ask yourself - Is the opposite also true? Can it be true? This line of questioning will help you look for evidence that directly contradicts your beliefs. Try to pay close attention to it, even if it feels unintuitive. Tell yourself that no mind is immune to the Confirmation Bias, and to make reasonable judgments, it is important to look at all types of evidence - confirming, disconfirming, and contextual.

When making sales

If customers believe salespeople are out to trick the customer into buying a bad product, customers are likely to remember the times they were tricked. They will, however, ignore most situations where they were happy with a product – the many instances where they didn't feel cheated. To alleviate such pitfalls, one could purposefully think about good experiences. From the other point of view, a salesperson could try to acknowledge malpractices and gain a customer's faith without dismissing their bad experiences.

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Within politics

This often shows up in politics as well. If you are aligned with a certain political party, you're more likely to agree with their policies even if it goes against what you'd normally choose or what evidence suggests.

At the workplace

Confirmation Bias can also be a problem within the workplace. If you believe that your boss is out to get you, you will automatically categorize many of their comments and actions as aggressive. Whereas they might simply be asking you to perform a task, you would see it as a personal attack on you and your work. Besides making you feel miserable in the workplace, this can also lead to strained professional relationships.

To hack Confirmation Bias in the workplace, try to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Do they also ask similar things of your colleagues? If they don't, couldn't it also be true that they ask more of you because they trust you more? Perhaps they always come to you because you are reliable and your performance is consistently better than others. By beginning to re-think your boss's actions, you can hack your Confirmation Bias into a new Confirmation Bias: that your boss is actually out to help you.

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