Well-Established
Fundamental Attribution Error
We judge others by their character, but ourselves by our circumstances. When someone cuts us off in traffic, we think they're rude; when we do it, we had a good reason.
All Biases
Browse all 50 cognitive biases from the collection
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Well-Established
Self-Serving Bias
We attribute our successes to our skills and character, but blame our failures on external circumstances. Won the game? I'm talented. Lost? The referee was biased.
In-Group Favoritism
We favor people who are similar to us or belong to our groups. We give them more trust, resources, and benefit of the doubt while being more critical of outsiders.
Bandwagon Effect
We adopt beliefs and behaviors because many others do, regardless of underlying evidence. The more people believe something, the more we're inclined to believe it too.
Groupthink
In cohesive groups, the desire for harmony and conformity leads to irrational or dysfunctional decision-making. Dissent is suppressed, and critical evaluation is abandoned.
Perception
Halo Effect
One positive trait (attractiveness, success, likability) causes us to assume other positive traits. If someone is good-looking, we unconsciously assume they're also smart, kind, and competent.
Moral Luck
We judge actions by their outcomes rather than intentions. A drunk driver who hits someone is judged more harshly than one who makes it home safely, despite identical choices.
False Consensus
We overestimate how many people share our beliefs, values, and behaviors. We assume our views are common sense and that those who disagree are unusual or biased.
Perception
Curse of Knowledge
Once we know something, we can't imagine not knowing it. Experts struggle to teach beginners because they forget what it's like to be ignorant of their field.
Spotlight Effect
We overestimate how much others notice our appearance, behavior, and mistakes. We feel like we're under a spotlight, but others are mostly focused on themselves.
Decision Making
Well-Established
Availability Heuristic
We judge probability by how easily examples come to mind. Plane crashes feel more likely than car accidents because they're more memorable and widely reported.
Defensive Attribution
We blame victims for their misfortune to maintain the belief that bad things won't happen to us. If they made a mistake, we can avoid it; if it was random, we're vulnerable too.
Just-World Hypothesis
We believe the world is fundamentally fair: good things happen to good people, bad things to bad people. This leads us to blame victims and assume success indicates virtue.
Perception
Naive Realism
We believe we see reality objectively and that those who disagree are uninformed, irrational, or biased. We don't recognize our own biases and interpretive frameworks.
Naive Cynicism
We believe others are more biased and self-interested than they actually are, while seeing ourselves as objective. We assume hidden selfish motives behind others' actions.
Perception
Forer/Barnum Effect
We believe vague, general personality descriptions are uniquely accurate for us. This explains why horoscopes, fortune-telling, and personality tests feel so personal.
Perception
Dunning–Kruger Effect
Incompetent people overestimate their ability because they lack the knowledge to recognize their incompetence. Experts underestimate their relative ability, assuming tasks easy for them are easy for everyone.
Decision Making
Well-Established
Anchoring
We rely too heavily on the first piece of information we receive. Initial numbers, even if random or irrelevant, disproportionately influence our estimates and decisions.
Decision Making
Automation Bias
We over-trust automated systems and algorithms, even when they're wrong. We defer to computer recommendations and fail to question or override them when we should.
Memory
Google Effect (Digital Amnesia)
We forget information that's easily accessible online. We remember where to find information rather than the information itself, outsourcing memory to search engines.
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