Cognitive Biases: The Psychological Phenomenon That Shapes Our Decisions

Cognitive Biases: The Psychological Phenomenon That Shapes Our Decisions

Cognitive bias, one of the most pervasive factors that hinders sound decision-making in the professional setting, is a significant obstacle to applying critical thinking to personal situations. Instead of basing decisions on facts and data, individuals often make choices that align with their agenda, leading to clouded judgment and a lack of ingenuity. This approach is not limited to religious, ethical, or political affiliations. Instead, it's a strategy to achieve results that fit the individual’s desired worldview, allowing them to avoid accountability and the acceptance of diverse perspectives.

The original study that identified this phenomenon was published in the journal Science in 1974 in the paper Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases. Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman published and identified common factors impeding human decision-making that were not fact-based. The basis for cognitive biases is based on the dual-process theory in cognitive psychology, which argues that humans possess an autonomic system that processes involuntarily (e.g., instinctual reactions) and the second system, which is more deliberate and takes time to process (e.g., intellectual capacity). Kahneman popularized the theory in a book he published in the early 2000s entitled Thinking, Fast and Slow. In addition to his work, many people like Dan Ariely, Angela Duckworth, and countless others have examined cognitive biases and their impact on sound decision-making.

Cognitive bias can be defined as a human’s lack of acceptance of the expected rationality of judgment through a systematic pattern of deviation. This deviation heavily relies on limited information, past experiences, and mental shortcuts, often leading to irrational conclusions and questionable decisions. It's crucial to be aware of this reliance on limited information, as it can significantly influence our decision-making process. In other words, an individual will draw conclusions that fit their needs consciously and/or unconsciously that conform to their findings. Cognitive bias usually has four common characteristics associated with it in individuals:

Activity is pervasive and consistently affects individuals' ability to process information and draw conclusions from it impartially.

Individuals ignore the complexity of the information they process and use shortcuts to derive meaning from the result.

Overall judgment and perception are distorted and directly impact how overall reality is perceived and how judgment is formed based on misinterpreted information.

Actual cognitive bias itself becomes predictable in an individual, which enables others and professionals to recognize the cognitive bias in the individual.

The most common implication of cognitive bias is the creation of misinformation, and even in its most extreme form, it influences others to believe and embrace falsehoods that are not truthful or based on fact. The purpose of this paper is to understand cognitive biases, provide examples of them, and explain how to overcome the blind spots in our thinking to avoid engaging in cognitive biases that can distort our worldview and impact the world and people around us daily. The goal is to engage in inclusive critical thought to appreciate diversity and expose the limits of cognitive bias and its superficial tone in understanding our beautiful and complex world. ?

Cognitive Bias Types

After many people have read the introduction to cognitive bias, they probably have concluded that they are above using them in their personal and professional lives; however, that is a cognitive bias because, at times, we are all guilty of doing it. More on that later, but whether it is to simplify and bring meaning to a situation or perhaps to get back at someone due to how one may have been treated, they exist in all of us at the conscious and subconscious layers. The key is to recognize when they surface and prevent them from happening. We will discuss prevention later, but first, it is important to get grounded in the different types of cognitive biases and the shortcomings each of them presents in our personal and professional lives. The list is very long, but the more we understand how pervasive they are, the better we can overcome them through rational problem-solving and critical thought.

Those familiar with cognitive biases recognize they exist in our personal and professional lives or even in both. The goal is to recognize their onset personally and listen to others to help avoid short-circuiting our thinking because it conforms to our beliefs. Years ago, a wise professor told me that speaking with my ears and listening with my mouth is better.

The first area to discover is the personal level. Although they are found in more of a personal setting, it is not uncommon to see them in our professional lives and learn how we derive meaning from situations. Let us expose these cognitive biases that are clouding our sound judgment.

Personal Cognitive Biases

Bandwagon Effect – Have you ever felt compelled to buy a particular brand of golf club or pickleball racquet because of your friends and family? Instead of relying on one’s beliefs or evidence contrary to a higher quality standard, we buy it to fit in and ignore the evidence that states it might be a poor choice. That is the bandwagon effect. We follow others and ignore the facts for not following them. Is that harmful? Not necessarily, but we may end up with buyer’s remorse or potentially limiting our abilities to become who we can become had we listened to the known evidence on the overall quality of the product from experts in the field.

Conservatism Bias – Do we stand behind our political party even when the facts demonstrate that the leading economic indicators of employment and inflation are out of control? Are our viewpoints fixated on facts from the past that have been superseded with newer, more germane evidence that may refute a long-standing position? If yes, for either question, there is a high likelihood we have decided to hinder our learning and favor it with long-held convictions that no longer may be true. Lifelong learning and embracing alternative points of view help to get from behind our bias and seek the truth more fairly and impartially. After all, who likes to pick weeds by hand or communicate with others using the Pony Express?

Gambler’s Fallacy - How often have we believed that if we continue a particular path that has thus far led to doom and gloom, future random events will eventually even out? Chance events are just that, chance. Events will not even out. Therefore, it is incumbent not to assume that, eventually, everything will turn around and level itself out. One will lose more and likely be in a worse position than when they started.

Hyperbolic Discounting – Sometimes, people might be saving for a car, but while saving for a luxury car, another one surfaces that is cheaper and puts a car in their hands five years earlier. Hyperbolic discounting is when someone takes a more minor, immediate award rather than waiting for the larger, delayed reward due to disproportionately placing value on an irrational decision for immediate gratification despite the more beneficial long-term gain that can be acquired. Facts matter. The key is avoiding decisions on impulse and aligning them with facts that result in a lasting impact.

Anchoring Bias – Is the latest information the most essential, or is it? We often anchor what we recently heard and decide based on the here and now rather than analyze the facts. We must resist this urge and follow through with our decisions using factual data. How many times have we purchased a car when handed the first option? In other words, be careful of the information we anchor on and critically analyze our choices before we leap.

Forer Effect / Barnum Effect – Have you ever wondered why people are attracted to psychic readings, personality tests, motivational speakers, and horoscopes? People who tend to lock into vague or general statements and deduce they align with their lives and make them meaningful fall into this category of cognitive bias. The trick is leveraging general information that can be relevant to allow the individual to personalize it, and they are hooked. This can be very consequential when people get duped on this, and it is one of the sad examples of cognitive bias, which people use to take advantage of others.

Ostrich Effect – Many times, people like to ignore or deflect critical warnings and do it anyway. When we bury our heads in the sand and ignore the events around us, we likely ignore the obvious warning signs and/or delay taking the necessary actions, which may create more significant problems than what initially happened. Responding promptly to negative information is crucial and can help mitigate a more extensive problem that may arise.

Negativity Bias—When negative experiences occur, we often put more weight on them and ignore positive experiences. As a result, emotions, perceptions, and future decisions are based on negativity and overlook the positive ones, which can significantly affect many factors, including life. The goal is not to embrace a pessimistic outlook or solely focus on the negative aspects but to recognize and identify positive events and build upon them to achieve success and balance in a seemingly negative situation.

Normalcy Bias – For those in zones with a high likelihood of natural disasters and assume that everything is always normal and there is no need to plan for the inevitable, someone exhibits signs of normalcy bias. For example, living in a hurricane zone, a family might want a preparedness kit and a plan to escape if they need shelter. Acting like a threat is not accurate and/or ignoring the pleas to evacuate and seek safety can cause a loss of life. The essential factor is not to rest on one’s laurels and constantly prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

Pseudocertainty Effect – How about those times of feeling a sense of certainty even though the outcomes are primarily uncertain? Is it worth hunkering down if there is a sixty percent chance we are in the destruction path of a hurricane, or do we pack up and move to an area where the hurricane is not expected to hit? Overconfidence and telling ourselves that something will not happen impairs clear judgment and impacts how risk is mitigated correctly. Those poor decisions not only impact the individual but can also have a significant detrimental effect on loved ones and the lives of others.

Focusing Illusion – When watching soccer and the opposing team scores a goal in the first minute of the game, does that constitute the pivotal point of the game, or is it an opportunity for the team that gave up the goal to rally around each other and make an impact to change the outcome? Overestimating the impact of one factor and reacting to it, which ultimately distorts the reality of the situation, can have a detrimental effect. The goal is to holistically examine the factors contributing to the outcome and build a strategy to overcome them responsibly and practically.

Hindsight Bias – Are examining past events an opportunity for someone to point out the predictability and obvious after something has happened? What about the news reporter who becomes the armchair quarterback when reporting on something already happening? This distortion of past events not only contaminates what happened but can falsely impact future decisions, with someone thinking that they have some level of foresight or inside knowledge of something that occurs in the future. The lesson here is to avoid acting like we know more about past events than we do and not assume it will tell us how something will happen in the future. As the Korean proverb says, Past is Gone, Future is Uncertain.

Availability Heuristic—Sometimes, we are tempted to think of the most recent information that is memorable and leads to a more effective decision. However, we must be cautious not to overvalue or estimate something that may interfere with our regular decision-making processes. ?For example, we may hear about a recent shark attack and second guess that a day at the beach is a feasible idea, even though the statistics favor not encountering a shark during the visit. The goal is not to let recent events cloud our vision but to think through the entire decision using actual data and some common sense.

Primacy Effect – How often have we been in a situation where someone tells us their phone number, and we seem to write down the first three numbers but do not recall the other seven digits? Remembering the first part of complex dialogues is more accessible, but we often struggle to remember the entire discussion. This can lead to making decisions based on only a part of the information, and we must capture the entire conversation before jumping to something we may regret. Taking notes, repeating what was said to get clarity, recording, etc., can help overcome short-circuited decisions.

Recency Effect—Remembering and giving weight to recent information can prevent someone from making a sensible decision. Suppose an employee has had perfect attendance for the last year, but over the last two weeks, there have been a couple of unexplained absences, and the timing just so happens to be at the same time as the annual appraisal. The boss must evaluate the year and avoid using the last two weeks to represent the employee’s habits.

Serial Position Effect—Position matters. It is often easier to recall the first and last items and overlook items in the middle. This cognitive bias happens when we combine the primacy effect (remembering the initial items) and the recency effect (remembering recent items). The goal is to overcome these factors, examine the whole, and not rely on memory alone when deciding. The critical factor is a meaningful two-way dialogue and not trying to hold a conversation while multi-tasking.

The Framing Effect—It is commonly known that how we share information and frame it to others can significantly impact how the receiver interprets it. For example, do we like to hear that eight out of ten people prefer a brand of tennis shoes over being told that one out of five people do not prefer the shoes? Words matter, and regardless of how they are presented, the intent is to understand the spoken words entirely before allowing them to make us draw different conclusions and inferences with the same information.

Impact Bias – How often has something in our lives, positive or negative, that we treat the situation in the heat of the moment emotionally because we think it will have a lasting impact on our well-being, but we end up later regretting the spur-of-the-moment reaction? Impact bias plays a role in our minds' mentality, distorting future decisions based on short-term emotional reactions that seem to be something we think will last due to the intensity of the feeling. If we are in an emotionally charged situation, sometimes it is better to step back and get a second opinion from those we care about to ensure we are not doing something we might regret.

Misinformation Effect – Defense attorneys like to persuade eyewitnesses to change their view of events by presenting misleading information that shades the information to overlook the actual objective facts. As a result, it can distort actual memories of people and compromise the accuracy and reliability of testimonies and personal recollections to question what happened. Sometimes, people’s stories about events get exaggerated to the point that the authentic message loses the truth. False memories have consequences, and it is an injustice to everyone when facts are distorted.

Halo Effect – One of the most damaging cognitive biases that is very common is when one applies positive traits to an individual just because they have one positive trait. Good looks do not equate to intelligence and kindness. Short-circuiting or assuming one trait leads to another positive trait is detrimental and ignores the importance of inclusive thought leadership. It is incumbent that we do not judge a book by its cover, consider the whole person and their contributions, and not simply look for people who look the part.

Professional Cognitive Biases

Many cognitive biases described above represent factors that influence our decision-making in our daily lives but can also interfere with our professional lives. Cognitive biases can occur primarily in our professional lives and at many levels. For example, they may arise when performing research or devising business strategies. The goal is to understand how we can park them and instead use informed decision-making with actual data.

Observer-Expectancy Effect – What happens when the researcher skews the outcome of a study to find the desired outcomes the boss expects to see? Do we report the actual results or compromise the study's validity to align with leadership’s perceptions for that potential promotion and praise from up top? The intent is to be ethical, share the findings, and not skew the data to align with pretenses or expectations not based on facts.

Belief Bias – It is often tempting to attach the logical strength of an argument because preexisting beliefs or simply wanting it to be true can cloud our judgment. However, we must resist the urge to draw conclusions and put our faith in the outcomes. Doing so avoids willing things into existence and allows us to stand behind the truth.

Semmelweis Reflex – One of the biggest enemies of innovation in the workplace is when people refuse to change because of their set ways and beliefs. The Semmelweis reflex occurs when people outrightly reject new or enlightening information that refutes past ways, even when there is clear evidence to support the recent findings. As with every change management strategy employed in the workplace, it is essential to create methods and an approach that considers this cognitive bias as a means for people to accept the evolving work setting.

Sunk Cost Fallacy – Sometimes, knowing when to cut bait and walk away from something no longer performing is good. However, people struggle to leave a situation that is no longer returning the rewards it had been giving in the past. This cognitive bias emphasizes the importance of having a strategy that provides continuous feedback to determine the value of staying the course or reappropriating resources to more profitable ones. This highlights the advantage of making decisions based on what the data shows versus trusting one’s gut in business decision-making.

Zero-sum Bias—Does everything come at the expense of another, or is it a cognitive bias that falsely facilitates an adversarial environment where the environment is either in the winner’s circle or the loser’s corner? Influential leaders create an atmosphere where everyone can succeed. Nothing is more detrimental than viewing a situation in a work setting with winners and losers. The goal is to maintain a level playing field where everyone can positively contribute to the overall good of the organization.

Contrast Effect—Productivity in the workplace is never guaranteed, and finding the correct value to measure performance is even more difficult. The contrast effect can occur when we compare something with another, and neither is good, but the one that is better than the other appears to be better. This is why leveraging benchmarks and other prevailing indicators in the industry helps establish the necessary expectations and baselines. The goal is to recognize what might also detract from optimal performance and not be swayed by marginal performance overall.

Risk Compensation—Does it make sense to only wear a motorcycle helmet in city traffic versus a country setting? The reality is that we should always wear a helmet, but this cognitive bias can make us lack awareness and develop a sense of security even though it does not exist. We must always align human behavior with safety measures. We should never put ourselves or others in a situation that forces them to adopt a false sense of security.

Ambiguity Effect – Fear of the unknown sometimes can cause us to take the known route even when taking a calculated risk may offer more significant benefits. Uncertainty in business will always make decision-makers uncomfortable about getting out of their shells and adopting a new policy. However, the company will not experience growth and will remain stagnant. The goal is to weigh the risks reasonably and, when necessary, make those calculated changes that can impact them confidently. The secret is understanding and recognizing how and when mitigation strategies will help offset the unknown, overcome obstacles, and enable the organization's trajectory to grow.

Base Rate Fallacy—The news or informal lines of communication can impact how we perceive things. For example, we might take anecdotal evidence over hard facts. We might want to believe what we hear at lunch at work rather than recent formal emails from management. We might also begin to fear catching a virus because the news talks a lot about it, but there have been no local incidents. The goal is to rely on the facts and not be inclined to agree or believe what is being said by the water cooler snakes or kitchen creatures.

Clustering Illusion – How many times have we seen people perceive patterns in randomness? Playing the slot machine and the last three have been payoffs, and believing that the next spin will continue the streak or analyzing the past Powerball numbers from the last five drawings to infer what they will be for the next drawing? This false sense of predictability in random processes is a cognitive bias. Reliance on big data to examine past actions is far more reliable and, if warranted, will provide legitimate patterns or trends. However, no patterns exist if the source is random, no matter how hard we want to believe there are some. ??

Insensitivity to Size – When we ignore sample sizes when examining statistical data, we could potentially skew the actual outcome of the result. We compromise the research if we have a tiny sample size only in a regional office and assume the same effect across the business globally. There are numerous methods to determine the right size for collecting data from samples, and they must always be used and not assume that capturing information is meaningful and can be extrapolated with numbers we determine without regard to formal best practice and statistical methodology.

Pro-innovation Bias—AI is one of the most significant trends in business, and everyone is rushing to adopt it and share all about it with their customers; however, does it make sense to do that if there is no clear plan for implementing it or the existing approach is inherently beneficial? Favoring new solutions without adequately understanding the pros and cons of the latest trend lacks foundational support for moving to a new model. Innovation is crucial in all settings, but just because it is a new, bright, shiny object does not always translate to results to the bottom line. Do your homework!

Survivorship Bias—Sometimes, it is easy to assume that the last one standing is more prominent than the other nineteen who failed, but is that true or another cognitive bias? The reality is that when we put all our eggs in the basket of the sole survivor and ignore failure, we are missing out on many learnings. We must resist the urge of the survivor alone, examine all the factors, and ascertain information to draw practical conclusions.

Salience Bias – The final cognitive bias found in the professional setting is one of the most common. It occurs when we gravitate to the most prominent or noticeable information and overlook the facts. For example, when casting for a commercial, a marketing team might look for an attractive person to promote their product instead of someone less attractive because it might influence a consumer’s purchasing decision. Making decisions on facts is far more important than relying on deceptive practices that play on people’s cognitive biases!

Blended Cognitive Biases

Personal and professional biases are common in their settings; however, many cognitive biases are pervasive and commonly exist regardless of the setting. These biases are probably the most damaging because they may be easily overlooked and become common practice in the individual. After all, they exist in both personal and professional settings and seem to help. However, the essential factor is recognizing what they are, and the associated symptoms typically present to allow cognitive biases to thrive.

WYSIATI—WYSIATI stands for what you see is all there is. It is a cognitive bias when we overvalue readily available information and ignore the hidden and underlying factors that may impact the situation. The problem with this cognitive bias is that we conclude that flawed information leads to solid decision-making. For those who have kids or perhaps have employees work for them, how often have we regretted making a decision that impacted them after we cooled off because more evidence contradicting our conclusion surfaced?

Omission Bias – How often have we been in a situation where we must do something and it will come with some initial pain, but in the long run, benefit us and the things around us, but rather than do it, we decide not to act? How about the time the boss in his talking demeans an employee because of their gender, but we do not call them out on it? What about ignoring a small leak in the roof and allowing it to take its course? Inaction has consequences, and we must not allow events to overtake us and make a poor decision that will inevitably grow into a more significant problem.

Optimism Bias – Have we ever tried to put lipstick on a pig? In other words, have we decided it is better to overestimate the positive benefits and overlook the negative ones of a given situation? Some would argue that this is not a cognitive bias, and it achieves a healthy outlook moving forward. However, it is probably better to be more pragmatic about the situation and take the necessary actions that make sense of grounded principles. After all, we do not want to feed our hard-earned money into a savings account that has yielded only .5% over the last five years, or do we?

Egocentric Bias— Probably every boss who has had employees has been accused of this at one time or another. This cognitive bias occurs when we decide that our perspective and experience are something we can rely on rather than the facts. This commonly occurs during social interactions, leading to thinking we know more than we do, resulting in short-circuiting a means to solve the problem with facts. The essential step here is to avoid looking at ourselves in the mirror when engaging others. Let us avoid becoming legends in our personal minds!

Confirmation Bias – This is one of the widely known cognitive biases. It occurs when an individual only seeks information that justifies their pre-existing beliefs or point of view and ignores the facts. This avoidance of contradictory information short circuits the learning process and stunts growth in the person intellectually. The consequences are catastrophic and can reinforce false beliefs. Politicians typically use this to persuade and influence people who tend to stick to their point of view no matter the circumstance.

Projection Bias – Another common cognitive bias is projection bias, the notion that people think others think as they do and project their thoughts on them. They overlook the individuality of one’s worldview and think that if I think that crows are blue, everyone else surely knows they are blue, too. This has significant consequences and devalues others who think there is always a straightforward answer to everything. We should always be aware of this in ourselves and others and recognize the value of inclusivity.

Mere Exposure Effect—Ever wonder what makes tequila popular? It is as simple as getting a celebrity to endorse or be part of a brand. When familiar things influence us, we are prone to a sneaky cognitive bias commonly used in business and marketing. Rather than relying on actual preferences in what we expect in a good tequila, we assume that because a celebrity is behind it, the product must be good. However, it is not.

Von Restorff Effect – Do you have a favorite commercial, and why is it your favorite? Do you somehow remember the unique or distinctive characteristics in it that make it stand above the rest? This cognitive bias is used in advertising to allow you to make something memorable to you and remember it on purpose. Over time, however, and discussions with other people about it, one typically finds it is not so distinctive. The key is that not all that appears unique, and we must be careful not to isolate things and overlook standard features. Imagine if we bought a car solely because the paint job is different.

Unit Bias – Here we go with another sneaky cognitive bias we sometimes get deceived with, which usually boils down to the portion size of something. When we glance at the back of that wrapper, and it says 120 calories, does that mean the contents of what is in the wrapper are 120 calories, or are there three servings in the wrapper, and it is 360 calories? Yes, it will provide the suggested serving side, but did we look at it? This cognitive bias is all about amounts and choices. We need to be aware of what and how units of measure are provided to us so we do not overindulge.

Information Bias— Ever go into a store to buy something and spend too much time asking questions, resulting in analysis paralysis? Yep, that is a cognitive bias when we try to find out too much information about something and end up more indecisive than when we started to consider that something in the first place. Decisions matter at a personal and business level, and enough is enough when making a final verdict, so be careful not to ask too many questions that will prevent doing what is intended in the first place.

In-group bias— Commonly referred to as the us vs. them dilemma. When we choose something solely on the principle that the group we are affiliated with prefers it, we are potentially missing out on the real benefit of what is being sought out in the first place. Although it may be hard to remain neutral, we must stand up and let our voice be heard because the odds are pretty good that we are not the only ones who feel a certain way. Political party platforms come to mind here, and how disgraceful the parties refuse to take a neutral stand and want to be the opposite of the other party.

Swimmer’s Body Illusion—Concluding errant information. For example, I might think that if somebody identifies as a swimmer, they will have a thin physique. However, any person can be a swimmer regardless of their appearance. We must be careful not to cloud our judgments with what we think something is vs. what it is.

Illusion of Control—Have you ever been in a situation where one person thinks they have more control of the situation than they do? Perhaps we have done this somehow, thinking we have more control over a situation than we do. If the weather service tells us a hurricane is coming, it is probably sound advice to take heed of the warning and follow their guidance instead of taking a risk with the family and pets. There is no slot machine better than the others. Stick to reality and use that as a waypoint.

Illusory Correlation – How often do we see a relationship between something, and no relation exists? Do all good people go to church? When we see a stork flying overhead, is that a sign that someone just had a baby? We need to always be on the lookout and correlate only factual data. ?

Illusion of Transparency – Have we ever experienced a time when we think others clearly understand our feelings on something, but they do not? The consequence of the situation is that we can then start to believe that if the person persists, they might be doing what annoys us out of spite. Rather than allowing the illusion to persist, we must ensure that others know our true feelings or intentions professionally and not lash out. We cannot assume that everyone in the room can empathize with our feelings because we feel a certain way. We need to share our concerns tactfully so that respect is maintained accordingly.

Illusory Truth Effect—Sometimes, journalists reiterate a point repeatedly, which makes the point seem more credible. The truth is that they are just trying to pad the conversation, so the more we hear it, the more we start to believe that it is credible. No matter how often it is being said, we must fact-check it and call it out if it is not real.

Loss Aversion – If given money as a gift, would we be more likely to put it in the stock market or a bank? The answer largely depends on how risk-averse we are and what we hope to get back in return potentially. The truth is that when we are overly cautious and concerned about the outcome, it can be a significant problem due to our need to minimize loss over a potential gain. In the scenario mentioned, perhaps the answer is to put some in both. However, the critical point about loss aversion is that we need to be careful not to be overly cautious, impair our judgment in what we do, and miss out on something that might allow us to gain from it.

Zero-risk Bias – Fixating on a small risk to eliminate it while overlooking a more significant risk and containing it is known as a zero-risk bias. We may think using bleach to disinfect the toilet constantly is a good idea, but what about the rest of the bathroom and how do we clean everything else that we touch? The goal here is always to step back, look at the big picture, and apply measures that influence the whole and not just a portion of the problem.

Cognitive Bias Prevention

We have discussed many different cognitive biases that occur in our personal and professional lives. Invariably, some are probably not covered, but the intent is to become armed with a fundamental grounding on cognitive biases and how pervasive they are in our daily routine—and sometimes, we do not even realize it! The more we can recognize and replace our actions and behavior with meaningful results, the more fulfilling it is for ourselves and others around us to live a transparent and focused lifestyle.

There are five takeaways to help prevent cognitive bias from surfacing in our personal lives:

Leverage data-driven decision-making (DDDM). Rely on facts, not opinions. Be rational. Recognize that cognitive bias is likely when the outcome favors fewer than the majority. That should mentally raise flags and warrant further review of the information supporting the outcome.

Avoid abrupt conclusions and decisions. Hasty decisions typically result in a poor outcome. Assessing the information will help us make meaningful and structured outcomes considering the big picture. Be careful not to fall into the trap of information bias, but calculated decisions usually are the best in general terms for everyone who is impacted by the outcome.

Use reflection, not deflection. If we become defensive and react to a situation, cognitive biases will likely creep in and wreak havoc on it. It is better to consider and regulate our thought processes to mitigate and identify potential issues resulting from cognitive bias. Checklists and prompts can help alleviate defensive reactions.

Listen with our mouths and talk with our ears. Talk with others and acquire different viewpoints. Use inclusive thinking to make more balanced decisions and not eschew advice from others. In the case of a difference in opinion, have a healthy debate and assess the pros and cons to decide on a palatable outcome. The idea is not leaving with winners or losers but recognizing that the best outcome was derived given the situation, and everyone may have had to give something up to meet the desired result. Information is power within a mass of people!

Continuously learn and grow. Research and learn more about cognitive biases and how they impair decisions. Consider some of the most common ones and recognize how they impair our choices. Learning is an ongoing process, and the more we become informed and aware of situations where cognitive biases might creep in, the better we can prevent them and free ourselves from the results of what they bring.

Conclusion

Cognitive biases are more common than we think, and the more we become aware of them, the more we can contain them. The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness of how cognitive bias can easily creep into a situation in our personal and professional lives and have it run amuck if we do not take the necessary steps to prevent it. This paper is not to arm us with information to point the finger and use it at others; instead, it is a means to learn, build, and grow personally and professionally.

Eliminating cognitive biases enables us to rely on critical thinking and decision-making based on fact, not fiction or some personal agenda. Ultimately, the more we practice investing in inclusive ideating and critical thinking, the more harmony and balance we will find as we all learn to live our best lives. The challenge is to avoid getting blinded by our ambition and recognize the significance of inclusive thought leadership and embracing diversity.

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