Social Psychology

  The familiarity backfire effect is a cognitive bias that causes people to remember misinformation better, and to remember it as being true, after they are shown corrective information that is supposed to debunk it, as a result of the increased exposure to that misinformation. For example, if someone is shown evidence which proves that …

Read moreThe Familiarity Backfire Effect: Why Debunking a Myth Can Make People Believe It

  Most of us use social media in one form or another. While there is nothing inherently wrong with that, social-media use can promote a number of psychological issues, such as addiction and depression, which negatively impact your mental health and emotional wellbeing. In the following article, you will learn about the various psychological issues …

Read moreThe Dangers of Social Media and How to Avoid Them

  The empathy gap is a cognitive bias that makes it difficult for people to account for the manner in which differences in mental states affect the way that they and other people make decisions. For example, when it comes to misjudging your own perspective, when a person who is dieting feels full, they struggle to …

Read moreThe Empathy Gap: Why People Fail to Understand Different Perspectives

  Flirting is a key part of many social interactions. At the same time however, flirting is also a behavior that few people truly understand. Fortunately, psychologists have conducted quite a bit of research on the topic of flirting. In the following article, you will learn about the different styles of flirting, including the verbal …

Read moreHow People Flirt: A Scientific Guide

  The Benjamin Franklin effect is a cognitive bias that causes people to like someone more after they do that person a favor, especially if they previously disliked that person or felt neutral toward them. For example, the Ben Franklin effect could cause someone who disliked you to start liking you after they do you …

Read moreThe Benjamin Franklin Effect: How to Build Rapport by Asking for Favors

  The overkill backfire effect is a cognitive bias that causes people who encounter a complex explanation to reject it in favor of a simpler alternative, and to sometimes also reinforce their belief in the simpler alternative. For example, if someone is presented with a complicated scientific explanation for a certain phenomenon, the overkill backfire effect …

Read moreThe Overkill Backfire Effect: On The Danger of Presenting Too Much Evidence

  The authority bias is a cognitive bias that makes people predisposed to believe authority figures and obey their orders. Most notably, the authority bias is associated with people’s tendency to obey the orders of someone that they perceive as an authority figure, even when they believe that there’s something wrong with those orders, and …

Read moreAuthority Bias: Lessons from the Milgram Obedience Experiment

  The handicap principle is a principle in sociobiology which denotes that the more costly it is to make a signal, and the more costly it is to be caught if that signal is dishonest, the more reliable that signal appears. This means that in many cases, for an act of communication to be perceived as …

Read moreThe Handicap Principle: Why Accepting a Disadvantage Can Signal Strength

  The halo effect is a cognitive bias that causes our impression of someone or something in one domain to influence our impression of them in other domains. For example, the halo effect can cause people to assume that someone will have an interesting personality, simply because they find that person to be physically attractive. Essentially, the …

Read moreThe Halo Effect: Why People Often Judge a Book by Its Cover

  In a perfectly rational world, people who encounter evidence which challenges their beliefs would first evaluate this evidence, and then adjust their beliefs accordingly. However, in reality this is seldom the case. Instead, when people encounter evidence that should cause them to doubt their beliefs, they often reject this evidence, and strengthen their support for their …

Read moreThe Backfire Effect: Why Facts Don’t Always Change Minds