What is Confirmation Bias and How to overcome it ?
What is Confirmation Bias and How to overcome it ?
In my previous article I wrote about what bias is and how to overcome it in general. Here I write specifically about confirmation bias.
We all have our own opinions and beliefs. Sometimes, these can make it hard for us to see things clearly. That’s where something called “confirmation bias” comes in.
Confirmation bias is when we only believe things that agree with what we already know. We ignore or don’t pay attention to information that disagrees with our opinions. We do this because it feels good to think we’re right.
Picture credits : NN Group
Here are a few examples of confirmation bias:
- Political opinions: If you only read news from one side, you might only believe what that side says. For example, if you only read conservative news, you might not believe anything that liberal news says.
- Relationships: If you think your friend is always honest, you might not believe it when someone tells you they’ve seen your friend lying.
- Conspiracy theories: If you believe something that’s not true, like the moon landing being fake, you might only look for information that supports that belief and ignore information that proves it’s not true.
These are just a few examples of how confirmation bias can affect our thoughts and actions. It’s important to be aware of it and try to see things from different perspectives.
To fight confirmation bias, you can:
- Read or listen to different opinions: Try to get information from different sources that have different views.
- Think about both sides: When you hear something that disagrees with your beliefs, try to look at it objectively. Check if the information is good and if there’s proof for it.
- Be open: If you learn something new that disagrees with what you thought before, be willing to change your mind. It’s okay to change your beliefs and it makes you smart.
Confirmation bias can make it hard for us to see things clearly. But by being aware of it and fighting it, we can make better decisions and see things in a more balanced way.