SYSTEM ERRORS
A database of the glitches, bugs, and blind spots in the human operating system.
The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.
A cognitive bias whereby people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability. Conversely, experts tend to underestimate their competence.
The phenomenon where a person is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial.
The tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information offered (the "anchor") when making decisions.
The tendency to judge how common or likely something is by how easily examples come to mind.
Negative experiences and information weigh more heavily than equally intense positive ones.
The tendency to underestimate how long tasks will take, even when you have past evidence.
The error of focusing on winners and ignoring the many failures you don’t see.
After an outcome occurs, you overestimate how predictable it was beforehand.
A bias where one positive trait (beauty, status, charisma) causes you to assume other positive traits.
Your choices change depending on whether the same option is framed as a gain or a loss.
A preference for keeping things the way they are, even when change is beneficial.
The tendency to adopt beliefs, behaviors, or trends because many others are doing so.
The belief that you are less likely than others to experience negative events and more likely to experience positive ones.
Once you know something, you cannot imagine what it is like not to know it, making it hard to teach or communicate.
The tendency to attribute greater accuracy to the opinions of authority figures and be more influenced by them.
The tendency to weigh recent events more heavily than earlier ones when making judgments.
People judge an experience based on its most intense point and its ending, rather than the sum or average.
The tendency to overestimate how much others notice your appearance, behavior, and mistakes.
The belief that you can influence outcomes that are actually determined by chance.
The tendency to attribute successes to your own abilities and efforts, but blame failures on external factors.
You attribute your own actions to situations but others' actions to their character.
The belief that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get.
The mistaken belief that past random events affect the probability of future random events.
The belief that a person who has experienced success has a greater chance of further success (in random domains).
Recognizing cognitive biases in others while failing to see them in yourself.
The tendency to develop a preference for things simply because you are familiar with them.
People place disproportionately high value on things they helped create, regardless of quality.
People value things more highly simply because they own them.
Preferring to eliminate a small risk entirely rather than achieving a greater overall risk reduction.
The tendency to underestimate the likelihood of disasters and their potential effects.
Preferring smaller, immediate rewards over larger, later rewards—even when waiting is objectively better.
Letting your current emotional state influence judgments that should be based on facts.
Overemphasizing personality-based explanations for others' behavior while underemphasizing situational factors.
Favoring members of your own group over outsiders, often unconsciously.
Having too many options leads to decision paralysis, dissatisfaction, and regret.
Preferences change when a third, inferior option is introduced that makes one original option look better.
Judging a decision based on its outcome rather than the quality of the decision-making process.
Viewing options as more different when evaluated simultaneously than when evaluated separately.
Assuming your future preferences and feelings will match your current ones.
Overestimating your ability to control impulsive behavior.
When freedoms are restricted, you desire those options more—even if you didn't want them before.
Assuming that big events must have big, complex causes.
Believing you see the world objectively while others are biased, uninformed, or irrational.
Past good behavior gives you psychological permission to behave badly later.
