Overcoming Cognitive Biases

Book excerpt: Comedian Bill Maher recently declared, "Apple, Google, Facebook, they are essentially drug dealers." Similarly, 60 Minutes had a segment on "brain hacking." What were Maher and 60 Minutes talking about? Brain biases that clog up our thinking and allow us to be manipulated by others. The human thinking process is imperfect. The brain evolved. Parts of our brains today are remnants of the brains our early ancestors had, brains which had developed to survive under very different conditions from today. These remnants produce cognitive biases-ways of thinking that are different from reality. Individuals need to overcome their cognitive biases in order to think more clearly and avoid being manipulated by others. I have written this book for anyone who wants to understand cognitive biases and begin to overcome them. First, I give you the big picture. I discuss the basics of cognitive biases and the dangers of biased thinking. Then, I ask you to look at your inner self through a series of questions and exercises. Next, I deal with specific cognitive biases, such as optimism biases, negativity biases, biases concerning others, and behavioral economic biases, and I help you deal with these biases through a series of exercises. Then, I ask you to apply what you have learned in more complicated exercises. Finally, the Epilogue shows you how Uber is using brain biases to control their drivers and how smartphone and social media are employing these biases to get you to stay on-line longer.