In partnership with

Learn AI in 5 minutes a day

This is the easiest way for a busy person wanting to learn AI in as little time as possible:

1. Sign up for The Rundown AI newsletter

2. They send you 5-minute email updates on the latest AI news and how to use it

3. You learn how to become 2x more productive by leveraging AI

Sign up to start learning.

We like to think of ourselves as rational thinkers.
We believe we make decisions based on facts, carefully weighing pros and cons, listening to both sides, and forming thoughtful opinions.

But the reality? Our brains are incredible — and also incredibly tricky.

Inside our minds, quiet forces are always at work. They help us navigate life quickly, but sometimes they mislead us. These are cognitive biases — mental shortcuts our brains take to make processing information easier.
They’re not bad; in fact, they’ve helped humans survive and evolve. But when we’re unaware of them, they can nudge us into poor decisions, unfair judgments, and limited thinking.

So let’s pull back the curtain on four powerful cognitive biases that affect our choices daily — and explore how we can recognize them, soften their impact, and start seeing the world (and ourselves) with more clarity.

Common biases

1. Confirmation bias

2. Framing effect

3. Halo effect

4. Loss aversion

Confirmation bias:
Imagine you’re convinced that eating late at night causes weight gain. So you search online and find dozens of articles confirming your belief. But what you don’t notice is that you’re skipping over the articles that say, “It depends,” or even, “It’s not that simple.”

That’s confirmation bias — our brain’s tendency to seek out, favor, and remember information that supports what we already believe, while ignoring or dismissing anything that contradicts it.

Why it happens:
Your brain loves feeling right. It feels safe. Comforting. And change — especially to a core belief — feels risky and uncomfortable. So we unconsciously filter out information that might prove us wrong, even if it’s useful or true.

Real-life examples:
•You only follow people on social media who agree with your opinions.
•A manager assumes an employee is lazy, so they notice every mistake but overlook hard work.
•You get into an argument and only recall the points that supported your side.

What to do about it:
Pause and ask yourself:
“Am I looking for the truth, or am I just looking to be right?”

Deliberately seek out opposing views. Be curious, not combative. You might not change your belief overnight, but you’ll stretch your thinking — and that’s where real growth lives.

Framing effect:
Here’s a simple question:
Would you rather buy meat that’s labeled “90% lean” or “10% fat”?
Most people instinctively go for the “90% lean” option — even though it’s the exact same product. That’s the framing effect in action.

This bias happens when the way information is presented — the “frame” — influences our decisions more than the actual facts.

Why it happens:
Our brains are wired to respond to emotional cues. A positive frame makes something feel safer. A negative frame triggers caution. The words we choose — and hear — shape our reactions more than we realize.

Real-life examples:
•A doctor says, “This surgery has a 95% success rate” vs. “This surgery has a 5% failure rate.”
•A candidate promises to “create 1,000 new jobs” rather than “reduce 5% unemployment.”
•You describe yourself as “learning from setbacks” rather than “recovering from failure.”

What to do about it:
Become aware of the emotional tint in how something is framed. Ask:
“If I rephrased this, would I feel differently about it?”

Better decisions start when we’re not just reacting to the wrapping paper, but thoughtfully considering what’s inside.

Halo effect:
Think of a celebrity you admire. Maybe they’re a brilliant actor, a beloved athlete, or a charismatic speaker. Now ask yourself: would you also assume they’re a great leader, kind person, or smart investor?

You might — even without real evidence. That’s the halo effect.

When we like one quality about someone (or something), we tend to assume everything else about them is equally positive. This works in reverse, too: one negative trait can unfairly overshadow all the good.

Why it happens:
Our brains love simplicity. It’s easier to file people into “good” or “bad” categories than to sit with complexity. But life — and people — are rarely that black and white.

Real-life examples:
•You assume a well-dressed person is more competent or intelligent.
•A charismatic speaker is seen as more trustworthy, even if their facts are off.
•A teacher gives higher grades to students they personally like.

What to do about it:
Get curious about the full picture.
Ask yourself:
“What do I actually know about this person (or situation)? Am I letting one impression do too much work?”
Remember, even your heroes have flaws. And even those who’ve stumbled may have strengths you haven’t seen yet.

Loss aversion:
Imagine this: someone offers you $100. But then they say, “Actually, you have to flip a coin. Heads, you get $200. Tails, you get nothing.”
Many people say no. Why? Because losing that $100 feels worse than gaining $200 feels good.
This is loss aversion — our tendency to avoid loss, even if the potential for gain is greater.

Why it happens:
From an evolutionary standpoint, avoiding danger (or loss) helped us survive.
But in modern life, it often holds us back — keeping us in jobs we hate, relationships we’ve outgrown, or habits that no longer serve us.

Real-life examples:
•You hold onto a stock that’s losing value because selling would “lock in the loss.”
•You won’t leave a toxic job because “I’ve already put in so many years.”
•You keep clothes you never wear because “I spent good money on them.”

What to do about it:
Try reframing the loss.
Ask:
“If I didn’t already have this, would I still choose it today?”

Sometimes, letting go isn’t failure — it’s making room for something better.

In conclusion

Every day, our minds take thousands of shortcuts. Most of them are helpful. But some lead us in circles — back to old beliefs, missed opportunities, and patterns that don’t serve us anymore.
When we slow down — just for a moment — and question how we’re thinking, we create space. Space to change. Space to understand. Space to grow.

So the next time you catch yourself jumping to conclusions, sticking to your comfort zone, or reacting too quickly… pause.
And ask:
“What story is my brain telling me right now? And is it the only story?”

That’s the beginning of wisdom. That’s the beginning of freedom.

Thank you for reading.