64 Biases in Category

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We find stories and patterns even in sparse data

Confabulation

We unconsciously create false memories or explanations to fill gaps in our memory without intending to deceive.

Clustering Illusion

We see patterns in random events or data where none actually exist.

Insensitivity to Sample Size

We fail to appreciate that small samples are less reliable than large samples.

Neglect of Probability

We disregard probability when making decisions under uncertainty, often focusing on outcomes instead.

Anecdotal Fallacy

We give more weight to personal stories and anecdotes than to statistical evidence.

Illusion of Validity

We overestimate our ability to interpret and predict outcomes based on data, especially when information is consistent.

Masked Man Fallacy

We assume that if we know something under one description, we should know it under all descriptions.

Recency Illusion

We believe that something we recently noticed is a recent phenomenon, even if it has existed for a long time.

Gambler's Fallacy

We believe that past random events affect the probability of future random events.

Hot-Hand Fallacy

We believe that a person who has experienced success has a greater chance of further success ("on a streak").

Illusory Correlation

We perceive a relationship between variables when no such relationship exists.

Pareidolia

We perceive meaningful images or patterns (like faces) in random or ambiguous stimuli.

Anthropomorphism

We attribute human characteristics, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities.

We fill in characteristics from stereotypes, generalities, and prior histories

Group Attribution Error

We assume that an individual's characteristics reflect the group they belong to, or that group decisions reflect all members' preferences.

Ultimate Attribution Error

We attribute negative behaviors of outgroup members to their character while attributing their positive behaviors to external circumstances.

Stereotyping

We assume that individuals possess certain characteristics based on their membership in a group.

Essentialism

We believe that certain categories have an underlying essence that determines their characteristics.

Functional Fixedness

We see objects only in terms of their traditional uses, limiting creative problem-solving.

Moral Credential Effect

We feel licensed to behave unethically after doing something good, as if we've earned moral credits.

Just-World Hypothesis

We believe the world is fair and people get what they deserve, leading us to blame victims.

Argument from Fallacy

We assume that if an argument contains a logical fallacy, its conclusion must be false.

Authority Bias

We attribute greater accuracy and weight to the opinions of authority figures.

Automation Bias

We favor suggestions from automated systems over contradictory information from non-automated sources.

Bandwagon Effect

We adopt beliefs or behaviors because many others do so.

Placebo Effect

We experience real changes in symptoms or conditions because we believe a treatment will work.

We imagine things and people we're familiar with or fond of as better

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

We perceive members of other groups as more similar to each other than members of our own group.

Cross-Race Effect

We have difficulty recognizing faces of people from races other than our own.

In-Group Bias

We favor members of our own group over those in other groups.

Halo Effect

We let one positive trait influence our overall impression of a person or thing.

Cheerleader Effect

We perceive individuals as more attractive when they are in a group than when alone.

Positivity Effect

Older adults tend to favor positive over negative information in their memories and attention.

Not Invented Here

We avoid using or buying products, ideas, or knowledge from external sources.

Reactive Devaluation

We devalue proposals or ideas simply because they originate from an adversary or perceived opponent.

Well-Traveled Road Effect

We underestimate the time taken to travel frequently used routes and overestimate time for unfamiliar routes.

We simplify probabilities and numbers to make them easier to think about

Mental Accounting

We treat money differently depending on where it comes from, where it's kept, or how it's spent.

Appeal to Probability Fallacy

We assume that because something is possible, it is therefore inevitable or likely.

Normalcy Bias

We underestimate the possibility and impact of disasters, believing things will always function normally.

Murphy's Law

We expect that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong.

Zero-Sum Bias

We mistakenly believe situations are zero-sum (one person's gain must be another's loss) when they are not.

Survivorship Bias

We focus on successful examples while overlooking failures, leading to false conclusions.

Subadditivity Effect

We judge the probability of the whole as less than the sum of probabilities of its parts.

Denomination Effect

We are less likely to spend large bills than their equivalent value in smaller denominations.

Magic Number 7±2

We can only hold about 7 (plus or minus 2) items in short-term memory at once.

We think we know what other people are thinking

Curse of Knowledge

Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it's like not to know it.

Illusion of Transparency

We overestimate the degree to which our internal states are known by others.

Spotlight Effect

We overestimate how much others notice our appearance or behavior.

Illusion of External Agency

We believe that good or bad outcomes are caused by external agents rather than chance.

Illusion of Asymmetric Insight

We believe we know others better than they know us, and that we know ourselves better than others know themselves.

Extrinsic Incentive Error

We believe others are more motivated by external rewards than intrinsic satisfaction, while seeing ourselves as the opposite.

Sexual Overperception Bias

We (particularly men) tend to overestimate the sexual interest or flirtation of others based on neutral cues.

We project our current mindset and assumptions onto the past and future

Telescoping Effect

We displace recent events backward in time and remote events forward in time when recalling.

Rosy Retrospection

We remember past events more positively than we experienced them at the time.

Hindsight Bias

After learning an outcome, we believe we would have predicted it all along ("I knew it all along").

Outcome Bias

We judge a decision based on its outcome rather than on the quality of the decision at the time it was made.

Moral Luck

We judge people's moral responsibility based on outcomes that were outside their control.

Declinism

We believe that society or institutions are in decline and that the past was better.

Impact Bias

We overestimate the length and intensity of future emotional reactions to events.

Pessimism Bias

We overestimate the likelihood of negative outcomes.

Planning Fallacy

We underestimate the time, costs, and risks of future actions while overestimating their benefits.

Time-Saving Bias

We misestimate the time saved when increasing speed, overestimating savings at low speeds and underestimating at high speeds.

Pro-Innovation Bias

We overvalue an innovation's usefulness while undervaluing its limitations.

Projection Bias

We assume our current preferences, thoughts, and values will remain the same in the future.

Restraint Bias

We overestimate our ability to resist temptation and control impulsive behavior.

Self-Consistency Bias

We incorrectly remember our past attitudes and behaviors as similar to our current ones.