THE ULTIMATE LIST OF COGNITIVE BIASES: WHY HUMANS MAKE IRRATIONAL DECISIONS.
Cognitive biases describe the irrational errors in human decision making.
Our brain absorbs tremendous amounts of information during the day. Some of this information we consciously think about. But as the conscious part of the brain can only be focus on one thing at a time, our brain is looking for shortcuts to help us make decisions.
These mental unconscious shortcuts are called heuristics.
Unfortunately, these heuristics often fail to produce a correct judgment, and the result is cognitive biases.
Based on my observations of fellow human beings over the years, I contend everyone has at least one personal bias, the thing is most are actively unaware of such or even if they are aware they will be in vehement denial. Perhaps some of the most common forms of biases are - hot/cold empathy gap, social proof, projection bias, and confirmation bias.
The following list (in the provided link) of biases is something that in my opinion everyone should not only read, but take into deep consideration, as it just might make you stop and do a little self-reflection. It surely has helped me, and I hope you find it useful as well. It's often been said that money is the root of all evil, and I used to believe that, can't say I do anymore. Money is an inanimate object that of which obviously knows no concept of what we would label as good and evil. I firmly believe the root of human suffering and intolerance is... personal biases. Through biased beliefs eventually resulting in actions towards others, communication breakdowns occur which can lead to all sorts of negativity such as grief/guilt/despair/depression/jealousy/and rage just to name a few. Pass this on to someone you know, and in the process perhaps help spread more understanding and acceptance in the world.
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7 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I do not get how thousands of words are better than monetarism.....
Larry68Feminist
Level 7
Feb 29, 2020
0
I go by need not greed ....personal sovereignty with negotiation
Very helpful information, thanks for sharing.
Cecilia2018
Level 7
Feb 19, 2020
1
So, the supposition is that these "cognitive biases" are always irrational? What is meant by projection bias? Does that imply a bias against Donald Trump because every accusation he makes against his adversaries is an act of the ego defense mechanism known as "Projection"? Also: Is religious conviction a "Cognitive Bias"?
fishline79
Level 7
Feb 19, 2020
0
Interesting. Thanks for sharing.
I discovered many of my biases as I explored and rejected my religious beliefs. I now live life with the assumption that I have biases that I probably don't recognize, because when you recognize them, they tend to lose their power. It allows me to give others the benefit of the doubt and be more understanding.
UpsideDownAgain
Level 7
Feb 19, 2020
0
Cognitive biases and heuristics are not only about personal beliefs and biases. Its trained thinking. Its shortcuts our brains use to deal with superfluous amounts of outside stimulous. Our brains literally trick us in order to save energy and get things done, but we must monitor our thoughts. Because man does not think. Thinking happens to us.
SCal
Level 7
Feb 19, 2020
0
I was going to comment somewhat along the same lines. I would have to question the poster's statement, "I firmly believe the root of human suffering and intolerance is... personal biases." I can see where there is a lot of misery caused by our failure to be consistently rational and instead make bad decisions based upon our biases, but on the other hand these biases undoubtedly exist for some reason, some of which might not be all bad. They seem to be largely baked in to how our brains operate, and if they were totally stripped away, what would we have left? I kind of view them as vestiges of our evolutionary past that helped us get to where we are right now, and as such have perhaps been useful. The question for us now is what would we be without them? Are they not at all tied to some characteristics we may view as positive such as empathy and generosity? It might be interesting to contemplate what a totally unbiased person would be, perhaps indistinguishable from a robot? And would that be a good or bad thing? Certainly biases should be recognized and controlled as much as possible, but I am a little hesitant to brand them as necessarily all bad.
@SpikeTalon I think it would be quite possible to do quite evil things without biases. If a person was a sociopath they may have a totally undistorted view of the world but just not have any caring for the welfare of others. Just blaming everything on biases might be a little unfair. In any event, I guess the point would be not to eliminate biases but to acknowledge them and maintain control over them. That would be where stuff like science and critical thinking would come into play. But then I know people who consider themselves critical thinkers and yet still seem to fall victim to their biases. I probably do, too, but it's hard to see in yourself, of course.
SCal:
@SpikeTalon We need many of our biases. Without them, we would go crazy trying to process every bit of stimuli in every moment.
Whatever our position on this topic, it is fascinating and powerful.
Really interesting, I’ve saved it to read again; there’s a lot in it 
girlwithsmiles
Level 8
Feb 19, 2020
0
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