Psychology

What is cognitive dissonance? How do people resolve the uncomfortable feeling that arises as a result of dissonance between cognitions and actions? In psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort that occurs as a result of holding two conflicting cognitions (e.g. beliefs, values, or attitudes) or acting in ways that contradict those cognitions. To ease this discomfort, people tend to deny the facts or rationalize their thinking to restore cognitive consonance. Keep reading to learn about the psychology of cognitive dissonance.

What is the affect heuristic? How does the affect heuristic influence decision-making? The affect heuristic is a mental shortcut in which your brain makes rapid subconscious judgments of like or dislike. These “affects” influence your risk-benefit analyses: If your immediate judgment is good, you’ll focus on the benefits of a situation, if the affect is bad, you’ll focus on the risks. Keep reading to learn about the affect heuristic and its implications for decision-making.

What is the salience effect? Why does the brain tend to focus on the most flashy, salient stimuli to the exclusion of everything else? As the name suggests, the salience effect is the tendency to focus on the most salient stimuli in the environment. The salience effect relies on your past experiences. You might notice certain unusual details due to, for instance, your career or past experiences, while someone else would notice different details. Keep reading to learn about the salience effect, why it occurs, and how to overcome it.

What is déformation professionnelle? How can having too much experience in your area of expertise limit your perception of the world? Déformation professionnelle is a cognitive bias resulting from having too much experience in a certain field. It is defined as a tendency to see the world through the lens of one’s profession or area of expertise. Keep reading to learn about déformation professionnelle bias, why it’s problematic, and how to overcome it.

What is hindsight bias? Why does the predictability of the outcome seem higher in hindsight? Hindsight bias is where you—upon knowing the outcome of an event—overestimate your ability to have predicted it. According to Rolf Dobelli, the author of The Art of Thinking Clearly, hindsight bias is a by-product of the brain’s pattern-finding tendencies. Here’s why things seem clearer in hindsight.