Why Your Thinking is Still Biased
A visual walk-through the book "The Art of Thinking Clearly" - Part 5
50 Drawings Completed!
After a short break were I shared some tips about “System Thinking”, (find them in the button below👇) we are back with our exploration of our human Cognitive Biases.
This is Part 5 of the visual summary for the book 📖 'The Art of Thinking Clearly' by Rolf Dobelli, we are halfway through!
In case you missed the other parts (bias 1 to 40) you can find them here:
And now this week biases:
Conjunction fallacy
This bias is in effect when a part appears bigger than the whole.
In the example illustrated, knowing Linda’s backstory may influence us to pick the Answer B; something that fits with the story presented, but completely overlook the simple fact that “Bank teller that are active in a feminist movement” is a subset of Answer A “Bank teller”, and therefore less likely.
Framing
The Framing bias occurs when the way information is presented affects our reactions or decisions.
Example: We are more drawn to a product labeled "99% fat-free" compared to one labeled "1% fat", even if they are the same.
Action bias
We often feel a strong urge to take action in uncertain or new situations, even if acting too quickly or frequently ends up making things worse.
A personal example: I would usually prefer to walk for 15 minutes, rather than wait 5 minutes for a bus that would then get me to the same place more quickly.
Omission bias
The omission bias isn't the exact opposite of the action bias because it doesn't come from uncertainty. Rather, it arises when both taking action and doing nothing could lead to negative outcomes.
In such situations, we often prefer inaction, even though it might not be the best choice logically.
By the way, if you were looking for a sign to subscribe, this it, time to act😉 .
Self-serving bias
The self-serving bias occurs when we credit ourselves for success but blame external factors for failure.
Essentially, we tend to believe that our achievements are due to our own abilities and efforts, while any setbacks or failures are attributed to outside influences beyond our control.
Hedonic treadmill
We tend to overestimate how much certain events or possessions will affect our happiness in the long term.
This means that while we might anticipate that a new job, relationship, or material possession will bring us lasting joy, we often return to a baseline level of happiness relatively quickly after experiencing these changes.
Self-selection bias
If we don't select our sample properly for a survey, study or event, it can skew the results in a way that doesn't accurately represent the entire population.
In the example, only people enjoying reading the newspaper would buy it, so the survey doesn’t tell much.
Association bias
Association is a very useful capacity of our brains, helping us quickly discover patterns and understanding the world around us. However it can also make us wrongly link things that aren't actually connected.
Our minds tend create those false associations, leading us to draw incorrect conclusions or make inaccurate judgments and decisions.
Beginner’s luck
When we achieve unexpected success early on in a new endeavor, we may think that it is a result of our inherent skill or talent, rather than chance or luck.
This early success likely doesn’t reflect our true abilities, and it can create a misleading expectation of future performance.
Cognitive dissonance
This bias appears when we experience discomfort due to inconsistencies between our beliefs, attitudes, or actions.
To reduce this discomfort, we often adjust our thoughts or reinterpret events to make them align with our existing beliefs or attitudes.
Example: If we know smoking is damaging for the health but still continue, we may unconsciously adjust our thoughts to downplay how harmful it truly is.
And that is it for this week! hope you enjoyed it.
Thank you for your support, reading, commenting or sharing my posts, I really appreciate it, and it encourages me to continue learning, drawing and sharing :).
You can find the next drawing here:
