The Confirmation Bias: Concept breakdown
3-minute read
You know that feeling when you're convinced about something, and suddenly the world seems to agree with you everywhere you look? You just read an article, and it validates a point you’ve been making, or it just so happens that all the cars you noticed on the street today are the exact same color as the car you want to buy for yourself. So what the heck?
The Confirmation Bias is our tendency to seek out, interpret, and remember information that aligns with our existing beliefs — while conveniently ignoring anything that contradicts them. It’s like curating reality to fit to our liking.
Why Does This Happen?
Information Filtering – We unconsciously drift towards news sources and social circles that mirror and reinforce our existing beliefs (just look at how personalized your feeds have become).
Biased Processing – When faced with facts that challenge our views, we mentally reframe or dismiss them rather than reconsidering our position.
Convenient Recall – Our memories play favorites, holding onto evidence that validates our beliefs while letting contradictory information fade into the background.
Real-Life Examples
Someone convinced they have a particular illness searches online for symptoms, focuses on those that match their suspicion, and dismisses alternative explanations for their symptoms.
A person following a specific diet (keto, vegan, etc.) searches for success stories that validate their choice while disregarding scientific evidence against it.
A loyal Apple user dismisses criticism of new iPhone features but highlights flaws in Android devices.
How does it affect me?
Limits personal growth – If we only accept information that supports our views, we miss out on actually understanding the world and never gain fresh insights or broader knowledge.
Creates overconfidence – Overestimating our knowledge can lead to stubbornness, poor decision-making, and detachment from people. This leads to biased decisions; whether in career, relationships, or finance, we become prone to irreversible mistakes.
The bubble trap – We exist in our own bubble of people, interests, news, and stereotypes, and all of this is reinforced as if we are in an echo chamber. We feel safe, heard, and accepted, but we lose track of broader reality.
Today’s Newsletter Challenge
Ask yourself, "What belief am I most certain about?" Then do something you usually avoid, like actively seek out the strongest argument against it. You don’t have to change your mind, but genuine wisdom sparks when you start with understanding why smart people disagree with you.
If this made you think, share it with someone who needs to hear it.