Cognitive Bias - Reflectd - bringing psychology studies to life

If You Struggle With Controlling Your Attention, Goal Reminders Can Help You, Experiment Shows

Simon Moesgaard — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 12:50:34 +0000

A new experiment (using a so-called Stroop test) finds that goal reminders help people solve a task that requires both working memory capacity and attentional control. Goal reminders simply help people keep a goal present in their minds while performing a task. The study finds that goal reminders provide long-lasting and cumulative benefits for people […]

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Negativity Bias: Why Negative Things Stand Out

Simon Moesgaard — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 19:37:46 +0000

Positive thinking can feel like a job to do, while negative thinking seems to happen more automatically. In fact, this is true at a very fundamental level of the brain, studies show. It is called the negativity bias. Researchers have documented the negativity bias in various experiments over the years, and it seems to affect all aspects of […]

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The Intuitive and Analytical Thinking Style: Which One is Yours?

Simon Moesgaard — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 06:15:50 +0000

The human brain is sophisticated. In fact, it separates us from all other animals. It allows us to have abstract ideas and to solve complex problems. We are rational social beings, or are we? It can be said that: “Thinking analytically — that is, reasoning about and potentially overriding our intuitions, gut feelings, and instincts — […]

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The Affect Heuristic: How We Feel is How We Think

Simon Moesgaard — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 12:07:53 +0000

Do you feel that your emotions control what you think? Or do you find it difficult to be rational when you are emotional? Consider this example: If someone has harmed you, you quickly arrive at the conclusion that this person is cold, unfriendly or hostile etc. In fact, even if the person didn’t harm you on […]

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12 Common Irrational Beliefs

Simon Moesgaard — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 14:28:07 +0000

Dr. Albert Ellis (1913-2007) was an American practitioner of rational emotive behavior therapy and his work contributed to the development of cognitive behavioral therapy. In his work, he was inspired by ancient Stoic philosophy. During his time as a therapist, he identified 12 common irrational beliefs that many people hold. Ellis’ definition of an irrational belief […]

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15 Cognitive Biases that Prevent Us From Thinking Rationally

Simon Moesgaard — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 20:29:12 +0000

When we make decisions or judgments, we often use mental shortcuts. The purpose of mental shortcuts is to ease the “cognitive load” of making decisions. Mental shortcuts are helpful because they allow us to make quick decisions, but sometimes they result in “thinking errors” or so-called cognitive biases. We should be aware of these biases as […]

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The Impact Bias: Why We Overestimate the Emotional Impact of Future Events

Simon Moesgaard — Sun, 01 Dec 2013 12:35:00 +0000

People often overestimate the intensity and duration of their emotional reactions to future events. This tendency is called the impact bias, which is just one of many cognitive biases. Because of the impact bias, people fail to make the right decisions about their emotional reactions to future events. In a new review by Wilson & Gilbert (2013), […]

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Hindsight Bias: Why We View Events as More Predictable Than They Really Are

Simon Moesgaard — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 13:41:00 +0000

The hindsight bias is one of many cognitive biases, and it is defined as the belief that an event is more predictable after it becomes known than it was before it became known. As a result, people tend to view events are more predictable than they are. The bias involves the inability to remember the uncertainty […]

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Why We Always Lose in Gambling Over Time: We Fail to Make Accurate Predictions About Probability

Simon Moesgaard — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 08:03:00 +0000

When we solve problems and make decisions and judgments, we very often use mental shortcuts (so-called heuristics). We use these heuristics if we neither have resources nor time to compare all available information before making a choice. In other words, heuristics ease the cognitive load of making a decision. In general, heuristics can be helpful […]

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Time Flies? Life Appears to Speed Up As People Get Older

Simon Moesgaard — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 08:58:00 +0000

Many people probably have the feeling that time passes faster now than it did when they were younger. Life seems to speed up as we get older, and researchers have for a long time been curious about this relationship. There are a number of age-related explanations about time acceleration (e.g., a lower number of memorable […]

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