Research Shows That the Smarter People Are, the More Susceptible They Are to Cognitive Bias

Perhaps our most dangerous bias is that we naturally assume that everyone else is more susceptible to thinking errors, a tendency known as the “bias blind spot.” This “meta-bias” is rooted in our ability to spot systematic mistakes in the decisions of others—we excel at noticing the flaws of friends—and inability to spot those same mistakes in ourselves. Although the bias blind spot itself isn’t a new concept, West’s latest paper demonstrates that it applies to every single bias under consideration, from anchoring to so-called “framing effects.” In each instance, we readily forgive our own minds but look harshly upon the minds of other people. —Research Shows That the Smarter People Are, the More Susceptible They Are to Cognitive Bias : The New Yorker.

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Dennis G. Jerz

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