What’s something most people don’t understand?

Ever feel like your brain is playing tricks on you? You’re not crazy (probably)! Our awesome brains use shortcuts to process information but sometimes those shortcuts go rogue and mess with our reality. These sneaky buggers are called cognitive biases and they can seriously warp how we see the world.

Here are 5 mind-blowing examples:

1.The Echo Chamber: Imagine getting stuck in a room where everyone agrees with you. Sounds nice, right? Wrong! This is what happens with confirmation bias. Our brains crave info that confirms what we already believe, ignoring anything that disagrees. Social media loves this bias, feeding you content that reinforces your existing views.

2.The “Ugh, I Already Paid For It” Fallacy:  Ever force yourself to watch a terrible movie because you bought the ticket?  That’s the sunk cost fallacy. We irrationally invest more time, money, or effort into something just because we’ve already put something in, even if it’s a total flop.   ‍♀️

3.The IKEA Effect: You know that wobbly bookshelf you built yourself and somehow still love? That’s the IKEA effect. We value things more if we put effort into them, even if they’re, well, wobbly. This can lead to wasted time and resources on projects that might be better left to professionals (or not done at all).

4.The “OMG, Did You See That?!” Bias:  We tend to overestimate the likelihood of events that are easy to remember or scary.  See a news story about a plane crash? You might become more afraid of flying, even though it’s statistically super safe.

5.The Dunning-Kruger Effect:  Ever meet someone who seems to have the confidence of a brain surgeon but the skills of a toddler?  That’s the Dunning-Kruger effect. People with low ability often have an inflated sense of their skills, while highly skilled people may underestimate their own abilities.

The good news? 

By understanding these brain glitches,you can outsmart them!  The next time you find yourself falling victim to one, take a deep breath and try to approach the situation with a more critical eye.  Your brain might be trying to trick you, but you don’t have to fall for it!