The brain prioritizes speed and shortcuts over accuracy, producing cognitive biases that distort perception and decision-making. Cognitive biases operate automatically through fast, emotional thinking and can be overridden by deliberate, slow reasoning. Naming and learning common biases, such as confirmation bias or motivated reasoning, makes them visible and easier to counter. Overcoming biases requires creating friction between thought and action: pause, reflect, and consider first- and second-order consequences before responding. Asking counterfactual questions, testing opposite hypotheses, and practicing simple repeatable habits reduce motivated reasoning. Awareness and deliberate slow thinking lead to clearer judgment, better decisions, and more accurate perception.
The brain is wired for shortcuts and speed, not always for accuracy. It's not a flaw. It's just nature's way of helping us survive. However, the errors in our thinking, also known as cognitive biases, can interfere with how we perceive others or make decisions. "We can be blind to the obvious, and we are also blind to our blindness," says psychologist Daniel Kahneman, the author of Thinking, Fast and Slow. The good news is you can outsmart your biases.
You can't fix what you don't see. So start by learning the names of common biases. For example, confirmation bias is your brain's habit of looking for information that agrees with what you already believe. It's a belief protection mechanism. There's another term for it: motivated reasoning. You want something to be true, so your brain makes it feel true.
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