Today and tomorrow I am going to talk about fear. There are many things that scare us in life, whether it’s the thought of failing or just not having enough money to pay our bills. But, the thing is, when you feel that fear, treat it as an opportunity and grasp onto it. When you […]
Would you believe the spell-checker did not recognize the word, Mergatroyd Heavens to Mergatroyd! The other day a not-so-elderly (I say 75) lady said something to her son about driving a Jalopy; and he looked at her quizzically and said, “What the heck is a Jalopy?” He had never heard of the word jalopy! She […]
The backfire effect is a cognitive bias, meaning that you can use general debiasing techniques in order to counter it effectively. Such strategies include, for example, increasing people’s awareness of this bias, using simpler explanations, and changing the way you present information. This means that when you’re talking to people to change their stance on […]
People experience the backfire effect because of the process that they go through when they encounter information that contradicts their pre-existing beliefs. Essentially, when a person encounters information which suggests that their current beliefs are wrong, they feel threatened, which causes them to generate a variety of negative emotions. This is especially likely when the […]
In a perfectly rational world, people who encounter evidence that challenges their beliefs would first evaluate this evidence, and then adjust their beliefs accordingly. However, in reality, this is seldom the case. Instead, when people encounter evidence that should cause them to doubt their beliefs, they often reject this evidence and strengthen their support for […]
March ushers in the official start of spring by the spring equinox, after which days will once again grow longer (or, technically speaking, brighter). Meanwhile, in the night skies above, several planets will be noticeable this month. Here’s a guide to some of the celestial highlights that will be visible in the night skies of […]
There are several things that you can do to reduce the bias blind spot in other people, in order to help them become more aware of their biases and of how those biases influence their reasoning: Explain what the bias blind spot is, and how it affects people, potentially using relevant examples. Explain that everyone […]
There are several things that you can do to avoid the bias blind spot, and become more aware of how cognitive biases influence your thinking. First, learn about the bias blind spot. Specifically, understand what it is, why it occurs, and how and when it can influence people. Second, accept that you’re susceptible to the […]
Have you ever been in a discussion with someone and realized that you would never change their mind because you cannot agree on the facts? We know that we have biases, but we assume, incorrectly, that we are aware of our biases and assume that they’re less susceptible to biases than others. All of us […]
Kids were asked questions about the Old and New Testaments. The following 25 statements about the Bible were written by children. They have not been retouched or corrected. Incorrect spelling has been left in. 1. In the first book of the bible, Guinness. god got tired of creating the world so he took the sabbath […]
