The gambler’s fallacy is the mistaken belief that past events can influence future events that are entirely independent of them in reality. For example, the gambler’s fallacy might cause someone to believe that if a coin just landed on heads twice in a row, then it’s “due” to land on tails on the next toss. Accordingly, …
Read moreThe Gambler’s Fallacy: On the Danger of Misunderstanding Simple Probabilities
Debiasing (which is also referred to as cognitive bias mitigation), is the process through which we reduce the influence that cognitive biases have on people, in order to enable them to think in a more rational and optimal manner. Cognitive biases are systematic patterns of deviation from rationality, which occur due to the way our cognitive system works. …
Read moreDebiasing: How to Reduce Cognitive Biases in Yourself and in Others
A cognitive bias is a systematic pattern of deviation from rationality, which occurs due to the way our cognitive system works. Accordingly, cognitive biases cause us to be irrational in the way we search for, evaluate, interpret, judge, use, and remember information, as well as in the way we make decisions. For example, one …
Read moreCognitive Biases: What They Are and How They Affect You
The humor effect is a psychological phenomenon that causes people to remember information better when they perceive that information as humorous. For example, when students are taught a new concept in a humorous way, such as through a funny story, they’re generally more likely to remember that concept, compared to if it was taught …
Read moreThe Humor Effect: On the Benefits of Humor and How to Use it Effectively
Learned helplessness is a state of mind where someone believes that they are unable to act effectively, especially when it comes to avoiding negative outcomes, following their past experiences. For example, if a student tries hard at school but keeps failing, they can develop learned helplessness and decide to give up on their studies, …
Read moreLearned Helplessness: How to Stop Feeling Like Everything Is Out of Your Control
Rosy retrospection is a cognitive bias that causes people to remember past events as being more positive than they were in reality. For example, rosy retrospection could cause someone to remember their childhood years as being more joyful than they actually were. Declinism is the belief that a certain entity, such as a country …
Read moreRosy Retrospection and Declinism: Why the Past Looks Great and the Future Is Frightening
It can be hard to come up with innovative solutions to various problems. Most people assume that being innovative is a fixed personality trait, meaning that you either have it or you don’t. However, research shows that while personality does play a role in innovative ability, innovation is something that can be learned, even …
Read moreHow to Be More Innovative: Identify and Use Obscure Features
The pessimism bias is a cognitive bias that causes people to overestimate the likelihood of negative things and underestimate the likelihood of positive things, especially when it comes to assuming that future events will have a bad outcome. For example, the pessimism bias could cause someone to believe that they’re going to fail an …
Read moreThe Pessimism Bias: When Things Seem Worse Than They Are
Research shows that having plants in areas where you spend time, such as your house and your workspace, can lead to various benefits, such as improving your physical health, contributing to your emotional well-being, and boosting your productivity. Furthermore, despite the fact that plants can be so beneficial, they generally require relatively few resources, …
Read moreThe Benefits of Plants: How Plants Can Make You Happier, Healthier, and More Productive
The ostrich effect is a cognitive bias that causes people to avoid information that they perceive as potentially unpleasant. For example, the ostrich effect can cause someone to avoid looking at their bills, because they’re worried about seeing how far behind they are on their payments. Information avoidance can lead to detrimental outcomes in …
Read moreThe Ostrich Effect: Why and How People Avoid Information