COMMON COGNITIVE BIASES

Awareness of cognitive biases can help you avoid decision-making traps.

COGNITIVE BIAS DECISION-MAKING TRAP

RELIANCE ON FAMILIAR We tend to base our decisions on events and information that we’re familiar with and
EXPERIENCES AND that have positive associations for us.
PAST SUCCESSES

OVERCONFIDENCE IN We generally believe that our assumptions are right. We thus generate too few
OUR ASSUMPTIONS alternatives when making a decision.

AFFINITY FOR THE We have a tendency to resist major deviations from the status quo—the current way
STATUS QUO of doing things. We avoid making decisions that will “rock the boat.”

DESIRE TO CONFIRM
Once we form an opinion, we typically seek out information that supports it, and
OUR OPINIONS
ignore facts that challenge it.

EMOTIONAL We can become emotionally attached to people, places, and things. These bonds can
ATTACHMENTS affect decisions we make related to them.

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