Here are some tricks your mind is playing on you that you won’t even believe are happening
In addition to being at the top of the food chain, humans think they are above tricks of the mind. Sorry to break it to you, but you are not. While being in control seems within reach, The Huffington Post points out a bunch of studies that show, in reality, your mind is playing tricks on you all the time. It’s shocking to find out how much goes undetected.
Because some of these mind tricks are not obvious, we tend to not be aware of their existence.
Here are just a few of many examples of cognitive bias. Maybes you’ll find one that applies to you!
1The Halo Effect
While is may seem that some people are just good at everything, research shows that the halo effect is responsible for a lot of that. When a person makes a good first impression, we tend to keep that in mind every time we see them. That way we perceive them as more capable.
Teachers tend to grade you better if you submit a great first piece of work. So keep that in mind for your next semester.
2 The Ostrich Effect
If you are feeling stressed out, you might want to burry your head in the sand and keep away, much like an ostrich. Instead of facing your problem, you just ignore them. But pushing work away isn’t the same as getting the work done and will only add to your stress level.
3 The Bandwagon Effect
In addition to having an awesome name, the bandwagon effect describes what happens to all of us when we see a popular kid doing something. We tend to want to copy them. That’s why people are sometimes to referred to as “bandwagon fans.”
When a sports team wins a championship for the first time, they tend to get more fans the next season because of this.
4 The Decoy Effect
Next time you buy a car, keep this one in mind. People will present you with choices in order to distract you into picking something they want you to pick. They will give you a few options designed to lead you into a false sense of security. Bottom line, never go with the first choice that sounds good. Always follow up and ask for a better deal.
5 Confirmation Bias
This one is especially relevant after the 2016 election. Confirmation bias occurs when we seek out information that will back up our preexisting opinions.
Instead of seeking out conflicting information, we’ll just stick to the things that will make us feel that we are right.
Now that you are aware of some of these, you’ll know when your mind is playing tricks on you. Or at least be aware that it can play tricks on you and be on the lookout for any signs that it might be happening!
