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 …
The Benjamin Franklin effect is a psychological phenomenon that causes people to like someone more after they do that person a favor. For example, the Ben Franklin effect could cause someone to start liking a person that they previously hated, if they do that person a small favor, such as loan them a book. …
Read moreThe Benjamin Franklin Effect: How to Build Rapport by Asking for Favors
The overkill backfire effect is a cognitive bias that causes people to prefer explanations which are easy for them to understand, over explanations that are difficult for them to process. For example, the overkill effect could cause someone to reject a complex scientific explanation for a certain phenomenon, because a certain myth that is often used …
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
The spotlight effect is a cognitive bias that causes people to overestimate the degree to which they are observed and noticed by others, as well as the degree to which others care about the things that they notice about them. For example, the spotlight effect could cause someone to think that everyone is going …
Read moreThe Spotlight Effect: How to Stop Feeling Self-Conscious
The illusion of transparency is a cognitive bias which causes people to believe that their thoughts and emotions are more apparent to others than is actually the case. For example, the illusion of transparency can cause people who feel nervous about public speaking to overestimate the degree to which their nervousness is noticed by the …
Read moreThe Illusion of Transparency: Why You’re Not as Obvious as You Think You Are