# Cognitive biases ![[Cognitive_Bias_Codex_-_1802B_biases2C_designed_by_John_Manoogian_III_28jm329.jpg]] This diagram suggests that there are four different header categories of cognitive bias - What should we remember - Need to Act Fast - Too Much Information - Not Enough Meaning ## Need to Act Fast - We favour simple-looking options and complete information over complex, ambiguous options - To avoid mistakes we aim to preserve autonomy and group status, and avoid irreversible decisions - To get things done, we tend to complete things we've invested time & energy in - To stay focused, we favour the immediate, relatable thing in front of us - To act, we must be confident we can make an impact and feel what we do is important ## Not Enough Meaning - We project our current mindset and assumptions onto the past and the future - We think we know that other people are thinking - We simplify probabilities and number to make the easier to think about - We fill in characteristics from stereotypes, generalities and prior histories - We tend to find stories and patterns even when looking at sparse data ## Too much information - We notice things already primed in our memory or repeated often - Bizarre, funny, visually striking, or anthropomorphic things stick out more than non-bizarre/ unfunny things. - We notice when something has changed - We are drawn to details that confirm our own existing beliefs. - We notice flaws in other more easily than we notice flaws in ourselves ## What should we remember? - We store memories differently based on how they were experienced - We reduce events and lists to their key elements - We discard specifics to form generalities - We edit and reinforce some memories after the fact. ## See also - [[Unconscious bias]] - [[The role of Second Brains in eliminating cognitive biases]] - [[articles - Fundamental attribution error]] -