3.2 Why Your Brain Loves to Lie to You - Confirmation Bias
If you think all cats are evil, you’ll only notice the ones that hiss. Here’s how to fight confirmation bias and start seeing reality.
Ever had your mind made up about something or someone, and everything you see just seems to prove you're right? That's not magic - it's confirmation bias at work. Like you decide "Mr. Lee is a terrible teacher," and suddenly every quiz or comment of his annoys you (while you ignore the nice things he does). Or you believe a certain game is the best ever, and you dismiss any negative reviews as just haters. This is confirmation bias in action: your brain loves to confirm what it already believes and tends to tune out anything that disagrees.
What is Confirmation Bias?
Confirmation bias is a mental habit where we favor information that confirms our existing beliefs and downplay or ignore information that contradicts them. It's like having a one-sided filter on reality. We all do it sometimes—it's easier to notice things that fit our opinions and not notice (or explain away) things that challenge them. It's comfortable because it makes us feel right, but it can also make us miss the full picture.
In simple terms: if you've made up your mind, your mind will cherry-pick facts to make you feel like, "Yup, I knew it!"
Real-Life Confirmation Bias Examples
"My Teacher Hates Me" Example: You walk into class convinced Mr. Lee is out to get you. That day, he calls on you when you didn't have your hand up—aha, more proof he likes embarrassing you! But you completely overlook that he also gave you extra time on an assignment last week or that he smiles and says hi every day (because those don't fit the "he hates me" story). Your confirmation bias highlights every tough quiz or stern look, but filters out any kindness or fairness on his part.
Favorite vs. Rival (Sports or Games): Say you're a die-hard fan of Team A or a certain eSports player. You believe they're the best. When they win, you shout, "See, they're amazing!" If they lose, you might blame the refs, or say they had an off day—anything to keep believing they're unbeatable. Meanwhile, if a rival team does well, you might say "They got lucky" or "The other team was just worse." You're not judging by facts; you're letting your bias cherry-pick reasons to keep your belief intact.
Social Media Bubble: Online, you follow people and pages that align with your opinions (maybe on fashion, politics, best music, whatever). Over time, your feed shows you only things you agree with. If someone posts something you don't like, you might scroll past or even unfollow. This is confirmation bias by design: you're creating an echo chamber where your views bounce around and amplify. It feels nice, but it can skew your perception. For instance, you might think "Everyone thinks this way," when really you're just not seeing the people who think differently.
Why does this matter? Confirmation bias can lead you to make mistakes or hold onto false beliefs because you're not seeing the evidence objectively. It's like only doing a puzzle with the pieces that fit your first guess of the picture.
Challenge: Bust Your Bias
Ready to outsmart your own brain? Your challenge is to catch confirmation bias in action:
Pick a belief or opinion you feel strongly about. It could be anything: "Junk food is harmless," "My friend is always right," "XYZ band is the best," etc.
Actively seek out one piece of information or opinion that challenges it. (For example, read an article on why too much junk food is bad, or listen to someone else's favorite band with an open mind, or ask a different teacher about Mr. Lee.)
Notice your reaction. Did you feel defensive or want to dismiss it immediately? That's the confirmation bias flaring up. Try to genuinely consider it.