Understanding Confirmation Bias:

Confirmation Bias is a cognitive bias where people tend to:

• Seek out,
• Interpret,
• Favor, and
• Recall
  information in a way that confirms their pre-existing beliefs or values, while giving disproportionately less attention to conflicting evidence

Example:

If someone believes that a certain diet is healthy, they may:

• Focus on articles and testimonials that support that belief.
• Dismiss or ignore scientific studies that suggest the diet might be harmful.

How It Works:

• Selective exposure: Choosing sources of information that align with your views.
• Biased interpretation: Twisting ambiguous evidence to fit your belief.
• Memory recall: Remembering supporting evidence better than contradictory evidence.

Why It’s a Problem:

• It can reinforce stereotypes, misconceptions, and false beliefs.
• It impairs critical thinking and objective decision-making.
• It plays a major role in political polarization and scientific denialism.

How to Counter It:

• Actively seek opposing viewpoints.
• Ask yourself: “What would prove me wrong?”
• Use critical thinking frameworks and rely on peer-reviewed evidence.
• Practice intellectual humility — being open to changing your mind.

Shervan K Shahhian