Oh my Bias!

If there is one thing you need to know about cognitive biases, it is that you have them.

Cognitive bias is a systematic thought process, call it a tendency of the human brain, to simplify information, leading to consequent thoughts and decisions. Imagine a filter of sorts inside our brain, dealing with personal experience, preferences, dislikes connected to a spectrum of feelings such as fear, panic, love, empathy etc etc.

Politics, business and advertising exploits this tendency to it’s advantage in many ways. From subverting reality to subliminally controlling or misleading us. For example, show me a picture of a starving semi-naked African child with some well written thought provoking text - make me click the donation button and pitch $10 to the cause. Job done! Practiced everyday by Greenpeace, Rainforest.org, UNICEF, WHO, Save The Children or which-well-meaning-foundation-have-you, manipulating cognitive bias equates to a lot of business and a temporary sense of goodwill. Like a ‘trans-valuation of all values’. Set the bias and set your price. The above example is inconsequential, when we dig deeper into our own cognitive value systems and how erroneous they can be 😟

Google tells us that “Cognitive or psychological bias is the tendency to make decisions or take action in an unknowingly irrational way.” However irrational or dangerous that tendency may be, Google’s capacity is limited to generating easy-to-digest nuggets of psychoanalysis. In this respect, CHAT GPT provides an organized (better) list and an objective take way by saying “If there is one thing you need to know about cognitive biases, it is that you have them.” Each of the bias definitions are generated (or written if you prefer) by CHAT GPT, followed by a few objective examples (written by me).

1. C😉nfirmation Bias: “A cognitive bias, where individuals seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and ignore or downplay information that which contradicts. When it comes to good news, many people actively seek for and even pay for positive information. True or false, a group of people prefer the type of information that aligns with their preconceived notions or desires.” Examples - People who have messianic visions of “a better future”. People who believe that law and order, police and army will always prevail. People who consult astrologers, tarot card readers, healers etc. People who listen and enjoy only one type of music. People who deny global warming and emerging science about climate change.

2. 😉ptimism Bias: “A tendency for individuals to believe that they are less likely to experience negative events and more likely to experience positive events compared to other people. This bias can lead people to prefer good news as they are more inclined to focus on positive outcomes and underestimate potential risks or negative outcomes”. Examples - Those who worship technology and believe in Techno-Fix. Those who believe electric vehicles and ‘green colored energy’ will slow down global warming. People who place a high (but speculative) value on non-living things like property, infrastructure, vehicles, machines, personal belongings etc.

3. R😉sy Retrospection: Many people remember past events more positively than they actually experienced them. When recalling events, individuals may emphasize the positive aspects and downplay or forget the negative aspects, leading to a preference for good news when reminiscing about the past. Examples - Millions of people believe that their childhood and adolescence was better than their present state. Many people believe that popular music in the 60s, 70s and 80s was much better (richer) than what we hear today. People sharing their childhood photos on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc. Folks who deeply opine for a small community life in the lap of nature, sometimes called ‘primitivism’ - a romanticism for neolithic hunter gatherer purity?

4. Illusory C😉rrelation: This bias involves perceiving a relationship between two variables even when no real correlation exists. In the context of good news, individuals may incorrectly associate positive outcomes with certain factors or actions, leading them to prefer stories that reinforces these perceived connections.

   Examples - Mainstream movies and net series (Hollywood, Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime etc) where good always triumphs over evil, regardless of reality, irrespective of era, terrain, situation, race or crisis (well in 99% cases). Organized religions and their belief systems, which correlate positive outcomes with positive acts (piety, mercy, heaven, hell, karma, seven deadly sins etc).
   

5. Selective Percepti😉n: “Selective perception refers to the tendency to selectively perceive and interpret information, based on preexisting beliefs or expectations. People may unconsciously filter out or give less weight to information that contradicts their positive biases, resulting in a preference for news that supports their desired narrative”. Examples - Mainstream media, which has to manufacture narratives, content and stories, ends up selecting information deemed ‘safe’ within preexisting expectations and consequently fulfills it’s primary objective (profit and or propaganda). Military strategy and war planning, which by nature always creates unforeseen outcomes and by a large majority fails to work out in reality.

Surely CHAT GPT as a system of artificial intelligence also comes with it’s own set of biases, as cognitive or systemic they might be (yet to unravel). Real life examples of cognitive biases are limitless and worse they are interconnected. Unravel your own biases, within your own quiet space (as I am trying to do the same) 🧶