Channel: Epipheo

Category: Education

Tags: pop sciencecognitive biasesisyourtrickbrainepiphanyepipheobrainspsychologytryingtoyouexplainerfunnyconfirmation bias

Description: Each of us views the world through a distorted lens. All of the information we process has to pass through our brains… And folks, our brains are treacherous and lazy. They take shortcuts that warp our perceptions, which can affect our lives in subtle but profound ways. This video is a whirlwind tour of five cognitive biases that, if you know about them, will help you make better decisions. Subscribe to our channel for a new video epiphany every month. OR, get email alerts by subscribing to our newsletter: tinyletter.com/EpipheoTV READ MORE “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow Mental Floss Infographic: "mentalfloss.com/article/68705/20-cognitive-biases-affect-your-decisions Epipheo makes videos that allow for human meaning. epipheo.com/contact Let's be social together, o-tay? The Epipheo Underground: epipheo.tumblr.com Company updates: facebook.com/epipheo Quips and short stuff: twitter.com/epipheo Behind-the-scenes: instagram.com/epipheo Subscribe, if you're into that: youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=epipheo Truth, Story, Love. epipheo.com ********** Video Transcript: Hi there, we're the Epiphany Lab, and we're going to help you make better decisions. Each of our days are filled with hundreds of choices, and those choices are made based on the way we see the world. But the problem is, our brain isn't a perfect lens. It twists and distorts things, and each time that happens, we are more susceptible to making bad decisions... but the good news is, this happens in predictable ways. These predicatable distortions are called cognitive biases, and if you know about them, you can spot them before they sway your judgement, helping you make better decisions, and live a better life. So let's unmask the top five cognitive biases... here we go! You just got word: someone broke into the house three doors down. This rattles you, and so does the local news segment on burglaries in your area... so you spend a lot of money on a security system... But in *reality*, the total number of burglaries is going down. You've just fallen prey to the availability heuristic. You're making decisions based on information that's easy to recall, not information that gives you a more accurate understanding of reality. Just lock your doors. You're afraid of sharks because they're unstoppable dead-eyed killing machines made entirely of teeth. But you're NOT afraid of driving to the beach, even though car accidents are far more likely than shark attacks. You've fallen prey to a salience error. This happens when you overvalue surprising or prominent information... like sharp teeth, over what is more likely to kill you like that person texting and driving. Your water heater has been on the fritz lately... but you won't call in a professional, because they'll just find something WRONG with it. You've fallen prey to the ostrich effect, because you're ignoring negative information. Also, you should get that growth checked. You just did something stupid, and you know it. But everything turned out okay, so no harm, right? All that ends well is not well... because you just fell prey to the outcome bias. That's when you think you did the right thing because nobody got hurt. The more you accept outcome bias, the more you learn the wrong lesson, and the likelier you are to get hurt in the future. Finally: One night, over drinks, you and a friend get into it over a hot button issue... but you don't get anywhere. No matter how good either of your points are, you're just talking past each other. You've fallen prey to confirmation bias, where you ignore or discount information that doesn't support what you already believe. This has ruined many a friendship, and many a thanksgiving dinner. Our brains are amazing little decision makers with a few predictable glitches. Just having an epiphany about each of these cognitive biases can dramatically improve your decision making every day.