Secrets de Marketeurs

What is the Placebo effect?

The placebo effect is a process where people feel good because they believe in something whether it works or not. It’s been used as a powerful tool by doctors for hundreds of years, but nowadays it can be dangerous because people who use alternative medicine mostly have hope that the treatment will work and their own mind does miracles for them – this is just placebo.

Placebo examples:

·          People who buy organic foods because they think they’re healthier even if there’s no scientific evidence to prove this, most likely they’ll experience the placebo effect.

·          In some cases placebos are very effective, such as curing headaches with sugar pills, reducing high blood pressure with blue pills… etc. But the problem is scientists don’t know for sure if it works because of the placebo effect or because there’s something in the pill.

Why this bias is dangerous?

It could be very dangerous if people use homeopathic medicine to cure serious diseases just because they’re more confident that this will help them, but you can’t always have positive results with placebos especially when treating cancer. The only thing that might cause a placebo effect is narcotics which are powerful painkillers, but even then 50% of patients don’t feel any better after taking these pills.

The biggest problem is people who use alternative medicine instead of modern scientific treatment which has much better results in most cases. So it’s not safe to assume that every treatment with alternative name can cure your disease, you should always seek real medical help and discuss your problem with a doctor.

Why do people use this bias?

People usually use the placebo effect to cure dangerous diseases, but in some cases it’s just unethical and dangerous. Some tests about new drugs have shown that placebos were just as effective as the medicine itself, so scientists thought they could save money by using fake medication instead of real treatments.

How do people use this bias?

The most common way is when somebody tells you something works even if there’s no scientific evidence to prove this claim. But you should always check your sources because sometimes it can be very helpful and other times it will only harm you. Not everything on the Internet is true, or not everything that doctors tell you is true, so you should learn to be critical and only accept the information that makes sense.

How can we create this bias?

The best way is to tell people they have a problem even if there’s nothing wrong with them because the mind focuses on the illness and begins a healing process. This technique has been used by doctors for thousands of years, but nowadays it’s mostly used as a marketing technique where companies try to sell their products by saying they will cure your diseases or injuries.

How to avoid this bias?

Be careful about what you read on the Internet, questioning every new treatment about your disease especially if most of them come from alternative medicine which most likely doesn’t work at all; always seek medical help when necessary. Also most of the time people don’t tell you that the medicine doesn’t work most of the times, so be careful when somebody says something is effective.

Which profession use the bias?

Companies use it a lot to make people believe in their products even if they don’t work. Also doctors sometimes tell you that there’s nothing wrong with you even when you probably have something, because this is the best way for them to help you and not worry too much about your health issues. They just want to calm down and reassure your mind so it doesn’t cause any problems.

Conclusion.

The placebo effect can be very powerful if used correctly to cure dangerous diseases, but it’s mostly unethical for most alternative treatments. A lot of companies use this technique as a marketing tool which might be dangerous and should always be taken with a grain of salt because sometimes we’re just imagining things and we think they’re actually happening. Sometimes you need to trust your doctor even if it hurts, and not everything that works on the Internet will do miracles for you or solve all your problems. So keep an open mind and remember those words next time somebody tells you something works without any proof!

What is the Bandwagon effect?

The Bandwagon effect is a cognitive bias that causes people to believe an idea because many other people seem to believe it. It’s caused by social proof, which is a special kind of conformity where we assume the majority opinion must be right because so many others think it wrong.

Why this bias is dangerous?

This sort of fallacy can influence our decisions and lead us to make flawed choices because we’re choosing based on someone else’s decision rather than making our own judgement. We might not be convinced by a flimsy argument but if a million people agree then there seems little point in resisting the group consensus.

People who use this bias:

People who don’t have confidence in their own abilities or knowledge will prefer instead to trust someone else’s decision. Also, people who get bullied will go with the dominant opinion to fit in and appease other people. People who are easily hypnotized by others may fall victim to trends, fads or superstition because they think if someone else is doing it then it must be right.

People usually use this bias in the following ways:

To make a purchase or make an investment our research might show us that one product or company has more positive reviews than another but we’ll ignore this in favor of something similar which has been excessively endorsed by huge numbers of people – even though there’s no evidence for the quality of their products. Another example might be when you want to read a book or watch a movie, you check whether it has good reviews or ratings before making a decision.

How to create this bias?

Using the Bandwagon effect, advertisers will bombard us with celebrity endorsements, protests and emotional images to make us feel like an outcast if we don’t follow everyone else’s behavior. They want people to believe that all other normal people are doing what they’re suggesting but this is not true.

How to avoid this bias?

Try taking some time away from social media so you can have more informed opinions instead of just agreeing with someone because they have lots of likes on their posts. You should always question everything you see online even if it seems popular or endorsed by many people because often these things are frauds created to trick you into being conned by buying something you don’t need. Also, don’t be afraid of being an outcast for having a different belief – it’s better to have your own principles than to go along with everyone else just so you fit in.

Bandwagon effect examples:

– It is considered dangerous to swim after eating because most people believe this will cause cramps and drowning but there is no truth behind the idea that swimming within an hour of eating can lead to cramps.

– Studies show that humor increases attraction between two individuals because it shows they have compatible interests and personality traits even though the person might not be attractive at all if they were not making jokes or humorous comments. People assume someone who makes them laugh must also share their values, beliefs, sense of humor and have a compatible personality.

– If you get something from an email hoax or chain letter then you might be tempted to copy and paste the information so other people can also feel part of the group. The more people who forward it, the more important it must be.

Which profession use the bias?

Entrepreneurs, social media influencers and sales professionals tend to use this bias because they want their audiences to follow them along with what they’re promoting. They’ll try to convince you that everyone is using the product or following the ‘trend’ so if you don’t do it too you will be left behind.

By using the Bandwagon effect, advertisers have tricked us into believing that it is perfectly normal to buy products which we don’t need or follow a trend just because everyone else is doing it. We need to stop taking these messages at face value and try to make our own decisions instead of succumbing to peer pressure.

In conclusion:

They want people to believe that all other normal people are doing what they’re suggesting but this is not true. The more people who forward it, the more important it must be. We should always question everything we see online even if it seems popular or endorsed by many people because often these things are frauds created to trick you into being conned by buying something you don’t need Another example might be when you want to read a book or watch a movie, you check whether it has good reviews or ratings before making a decision. People assume someone who makes them laugh must also share their values, beliefs, sense of humor and have a compatible personality. Entrepreneurs, social media influencers and sales professionals tend to use this bias because they want their audiences to follow them along with what they’re promoting. We need to stop taking these messages at face value and try to make our own decisions instead of succumbing to peer pressure.

What is the Automation bias?

The Automation bias is a cognitive bias that occurs when people imagine they can create an automated system to replace a human.

Why is this bias dangerous?

This kind of automation bias can jeopardize jobs and put lives at risk by introducing more problems than it solves. For example, the automation will lead to increase risks as users won’t be as prepared as they think for their next interaction with the product.

Why do people use this type of bias?

People tend to have an optimistic view on technology that often goes far beyond reality. In addition, it would be easier for businesses to run tasks automatically instead of hiring employees so it could save money and benefit shareholders in the long term too. Other reasons include: a lack of awareness, a lack of education and inability to make sense of complex systems.

How do people use this bias?

Many times have we seen how new technologies have been designed with the user in mind first. That is, instead of putting themselves in the shoes of the person who will be using it. The best example for automation bias was a NASA research that wanted to create a machine that could detect early signs of cancer cells after surgery where small samples were taken from human patients. But as they started testing their system on real life data from 1998 to 2001, the system was not as accurate as expected so they decided to stop it because it failed at finding those cancer cells between 2002 and 2009.

How can we create this type of bias?

In order to avoid the automation bias from ever happening, designers and developers must understand that people do not like changes and adapt their products with them in mind. As Professor David Autor told: « People can be very slow to learn new things and adapt to change-even when the change is for the better. »

How to avoid this type of bias?

Designers should keep in mind as they create a product, as it will impact how users interact with it. There are many methods for creating an unbiased design such as designing iteratively, keeping your focus on users’ goals, following user research methodologies or using personas instead of generic users.

Examples of the Automation bias:

The idea of self-driving cars is one of the most known automation biases. Google has invested heavily in developing an autonomous vehicle that would replace human drivers. Even though they have tested their system in real life conditions, accidents involving their cars are still occurring. One example it’s when a Tesla autopilot crashed into a truck which was making its way slowly across the road at 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph).

Another major company which used this bias to make profit is Amazon after they created « Kiva » robots for moving items around warehouses. However, after launching them it became clear that the data they collected to improve efficiency could be used for other purposes like improving productivity rates in order to reduce workforce costs in places like Europe where taxes are high.

The last example comes from a photojournalist, James Nachtwey, who was an early adopter of a new robotic camera that could shoot in place while keeping a subject in frame. However after some time the system’s automation made him feel like he wasn’t carrying his responsibility as he didn’t frame his subjects properly.

Which profession use the bias?

This type of bias is more common for people working with IT or engineering fields where they are responsible for developing new products or services that impact how users interact with it. But it can also happen to designers and marketers which are also responsible for creating designs and content related to those new products/services.

Conclusion:

Automation bias is dangerous because it masks normal human behavior and makes it difficult for them to understand complex systems. It also has a negative impact for businesses or other institutions that use automation to improve their own functionalities, but this comes at the expense of employees. While companies lose money because they try to cut costs by replacing humans with technology, workers may lose their jobs too. Although there are ways in which you can avoid this type of bias such as designing iteratively or testing your product before launching it, many times we see how designers/developers choose not to do so and focus on creating flawless products instead. That’s why it is important for users of those products/services to be educated about the way they work so they don’t face disadvantages because of new technologies that were created with no regard to how people will interact with them.

What is the Authority bias?

Authority bias is the tendency to attribute greater accuracy to an assertion when it is made by a person who is seen as an authority.

The Authority Bias works on us unconsciously and makes us feel safe, especially when dealing with decisions of great importance.

This gives more weight to statements made by people perceived as experts or authorities, even if these are less accurate than the consensus view.

Why this bias is dangerous?

When we become aware that some asserted statements are likely not true or correct, our confidence in that assertion decreases. However, if the same statements were made by someone seen as an authority figure, our confidence increases significantly without any logical reason for doing so. That’s why this particular type of bias can be dangerous.

Why do people use this bias?

We are exposed to the Authority Bias on daily basis, all the time. We trust experts more than others and tend to think that they know what they’re talking about.

This is what makes us go to the doctor when we feel sick or buy some expensive products promising beauty and youth. So obviously, it’s in the best interest of the companies who provide these services/products for their customers to fall prey to this type of cognitive biases.

How do people use this bias?

People might be exposed to various authorities in different areas throughout their lives (parents, teachers, professors, doctors). People will likely search for experts when making decisions involving health issues like treatment or choosing a therapist.

One way to use this cognitive bias is by using a placebo effect.

How can we create this bias?

A study showed that creating the sense of authority makes people rely on an unqualified source and think they know what they’re talking about. On the other hand, if you remove the sense of authority, people’s confidence in their own judgement increases and they trust themselves more than the expert. This means that if something sounds like it was said or written by someone with qualifications or credentials or knowledge superior to ours, we will be more likely to believe it and accept it as true.

How to avoid this bias?

There are many ways we could overcome such biases as the Authority Bias:

1) We should always try to think critically and not rely on authority figures, even if we trust them and value their opinions (this is impossible in some cases, like when we do need a doctor’s opinion).

2) We must always consider the source of information and whether it actually holds any legitimate authority. People can be « experts » in their own minds but that doesn’t mean they should be listened to.

3) We must remember that people who hold higher social status are no more qualified than everyone else; many times they may even lack relevant knowledge, making it essential for us to take into account our own critical thinking capabilities in assessing the situation.

4) We should avoid seeking advice from someone merely because he/she has an impressive title or an impressive title. It’s better to go to the person who truly knows what they’re talking about and has expertise in a matter than to seek advice from someone with authority but without knowledge of what they’re talking about.

Authority bias examples:

– Food Company which use « health claims »

– Fashion companies using « celebrity endorsements »

– Politics

Which profession use the bias?

Doctors, lawyers, teachers, professors..

Conclusion.

The Authority Bias is a cognitive bias that makes us value authority figures and see them as more trustworthy than others. While this bias is helpful at times it can also be very harmful in some cases if we let our critical thinking slip away from us due to the fact that someone has a degree. As such, it’s important to always be aware of our own capabilities when assessing a situation and make a decision based on facts rather than assumptions or something someone told you without any real evidence whatsoever. This type of cognitive biases can lead people to believe false information causing great damage to society at large where decisions are made based on fake news or trusted sources that don’t actually hold any authority like celebrities.

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What is the Argument from fallacy bias?

Argument from fallacy is a cognitive bias that occurs when people dismiss an argument and conclude the person who made the argument must be wrong because they employed fallacies.

This means that by merely demonstrating inconsistencies in your opponent’s argument, you can decisively counter his claims and get him to accept yours. The problem with this cognitive bias is that it precludes any possibility of incremental learning or improving one’s position on an issue because an opponent must immediately concede defeat whenever he uses invalid logic.

This type of bias has become so common recently, especially in politics. People will take one example and extrapolate their findings to create large generalizations about someone or something without research to back up their claim.

Why does it work?

The Argument from Fallacy Bias is effective because false arguments seem valid when you don’t know better. If you believe the argument, then how would you know that it’s wrong? It works in most cases because there are many people who want to support their beliefs but they don’t have any good reasons for doing so, therefore they use anything they can in order to support themselves.     

Why is this bias dangerous?

People who believe that something is true based on fallacious arguments haven’t actually thought about the implications of what they’re saying and why it may not be true. For example…

Some people think getting 8 hours of sleep every night will make them live longer even though there isn’t any good evidence to support this.

Why do people use this bias?

People tend to create false arguments in order to disregard information that may make them feel uncomfortable and instead, create a reality where only the things they want are true and everything else is false.

How do people use this bias?

There are two ways: The first one is by taking an individual instance and calling it a general rule and the other way around. For example: One person can say « This man was shot because he didn’t listen » and another person could say « This man was shot because of his skin color ». People don’t take into consideration that the area where these events took place might be unsafe, so just because someone got killed doesn’t mean that this is part of a bigger picture.

How can we create this bias?

This cognitive bias occurs in psychological thinking when people try to make sense of their world by finding patterns and constructing beliefs in order to satisfy their need for closure which is the desire for certainty. This also happens due to social influence because if someone is surrounded by other individuals who believe in something, they are more likely to believe it too.

How to avoid this bias?

There are four ways you can counteract using the Argument from Fallacy Bias: 1- Research your topic thoroughly 2- Have an open mind when learning information 3- If there’s no evidence that supports your claim then don’t make it 4- Make sure when you do want to engage in critical thinking that you’re not just coming from a place of privilege or bias.

Argument from fallacy bias examples:

One example of this bias is when people use cherry-picked facts in order to fabricate a story that suits their own agenda. This can be seen with the current immigration debate where Republicans are saying that immigrants are responsible for an increase in crime, even though data shows that they’re not more criminal than native citizens.

Another argument from fallacy example would be the one about Donald Trump being a successful businessman and a good president because he built a billion dollar empire. However, there’s no evidence to prove the claim so far because his tax records aren’t public information.

Which profession use the bias?

The Argument from Fallacy Bias is used mostly by politicians and other individuals who deal with media relations as well as public relations managers due to their job requirements which is to persuade the public in order to gain more supporters.

Conclusion.

The Argument from Fallacy Bias is dangerous because it can lead to false information and bad policies that might harm others based on false assumptions. This cognitive bias is most used by leaders who want to put us in danger so they can get away with their mistakes. That’s why if we, as a society want things to be different this time around then we need to use critical thinking when dealing with media relations since people tend to create false arguments based on fallacies all the time. It’s not okay for someone with privilege and power to just fabricate an argument about fear mongering just so they can fear monger themselves into power… We should make sure that our leaders are not creating false information in order to get more power. That’s why we need to be critical when dealing with this bias because if we’re not then what kind of future are we creating for our children, grandchildren and the next generations after them? We should start using critical thinking skills in order to come up with real solutions that will help us live cohesively instead of harming others based on bias, fear mongering and non-sense.

What is the Just-world hypothesis bias?

What is the just-world hypothesis bias? The just world hypothesis, also known as the just-world fallacy or just-world effect, is a cognitive bias that causes people to blame victims for their suffering and misfortunes.

The theory suggests that a person’s perception of a world where humans always get what they deserve results in blaming victims for their suffering and misfortunes. By doing so, people believe that bad events happen to those who deserve them.

Why it may be dangerous?

It implies that justice will be restored if certain conditions are met. Therefore, good things happen to good people and bad things only happen to bad ones. People with belief tend to blame victims for their suffering and misfortunes.

Why do people use this bias?

People believe that the world is just and that good things happen to good people and bad things only happen to bad ones. By doing so, they assume that justice will be restored if certain conditions are met. The belief implies that if someone suffers it must be because of something they did (or failed to do). For example: Bob goes out for a night with his friends; he meets a beautiful woman and brings her home; she decides not to sleep with him, gets angry over it and smashes all his belongings; Bob believes the woman’s behavior was justified as « he didn’t treat her well enough », which leads him into avoiding such women in the future; in his mind, this is a perfectly reasonable way of thinking.

How do people use this bias?

People with belief tend to blame victims for their suffering and misfortunes. In addition, they often look down on the victims in order to dehumanize them and feel superior.

How can we create this bias?

By seeing things that support positive beliefs about the world while disregarding anything that might challenge our assumptions. For example: Bob goes out with his friends; he meets girl A who agrees to sleep with him; when they go home she gets aggressive, smashes all his belongings and sets fire to his house; when Bob talks about it with his friends he will mention only girl A’s good points while censoring everything bad she did; in his mind, this is a perfectly reasonable way of thinking.

Examples of the Just-world hypothesis bias:

1. « He had it coming for being so lazy. »

2. « She’s just trying to get attention. »

3. « I’m sure her boyfriend will come back to her one day, if not today then maybe tomorrow. »

4. « She can’t be that sick, she has a stable home life and goes to church every weekend. » / « He can’t be homeless; he doesn’t look like a drug addict or alcoholic. »

How to avoid this bias?

We should try to understand that the world is just as unjust as it is just, and that believing otherwise can be quite dangerous. In addition, we should realize that bad people may sometimes do good things and vice versa. Finally, we need to remain open-minded about those who have been unfairly harmed so as not to dehumanize them.

Which profession use the bias?

Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals can also develop this cognitive bias due to the fact that they must look for explanations in what went wrong in cases where things could have gone better. For example: a patient received an organ transplant; when it didn’t work, she blamed herself in order to restore justice.

Conclusion.

There are many reasons why people use this bias but it’s important to remember not every bad thing happens because someone deserves them. Furthermore, good people often face struggles in life while bad ones may succeed for no reason other than luck. Thus, we should try to remain open-minded about those who have experienced unfairness if we don’t want to dehumanize them. Finally, believing that the world is always just can be quite dangerous as it can lead to blame, hatred and aggression.

What is the Moral credential effect?

The moral credential effect, or moral licensing, is a cognitive bias that causes people who do something positive to feel licensed to continue doing bad things.

In other words, when someone does something good it gives them the feeling of being ‘better’ and this sense of ‘better’ makes them more likely to engage in behaviors that are morally questionable. In most cases it means they will ignore the negative effects of their behavior down the line.

Why does it work?

People tend to associate themselves with similar individuals by group membership or shared identity. This can be achieved through formal affiliations such as political parties and clubs but also informal ones like having children at school together. These group identities and affiliations can come with an associated moral credential which will make us more likely to copy the behavior of others (such as voting for a politician because they share the same political affiliation) or simply approve of that behavior.

Why is it dangerous?

The moral credential effect can be dangerous if it gives us license to do bad things. We may become overconfident in our own abilities after doing something positive and neglect future negative effects. It can also cause us to think members on board with similar identities or affiliations are less biased than others, even when this assumption runs counter to evidence. For example, people often assume elected officials are less biased than scientists despite scientific studies clearly showing elected officials actually tend to be more biased than academics!

How does the bias work?

The moral credential effect is a cognitive bias that can cause us to ignore the future negative effects of our behavior. For example, someone might eat healthy food all week and then splurge on a chocolate cake at the weekend despite knowing that eating lots of sugary and fatty foods is unhealthy (a type 2 diabetes in waiting). This may be because when we do something positive we feel ‘licensed’ to engage in less ethical behaviors later on. [insert examples] [insert examples]

How can we create this effect?

The moral credential effect can be created when people associate themselves with similar individuals by group membership or shared identity. It allows others who share this affiliation to assume you possess the same moral credentials as them and therefore approve of their actions.

How to avoid this bias?

To avoid the moral credential effect we need to be aware of our own biases and try not to trust ourselves too much! Specifically, we should always ask ourselves if we would approve of other people doing what we are planning on doing (even outsiders who do not share your group affiliations or identities). If the answer is “No” then it may be worth reconsidering before making a decision because you could end up acting immorally without even meaning to.

Which profession uses this bias the most?

Studies have shown that elected officials are often more biased than scientists despite being held up as shining examples of objectivity! This shows how the moral credential effect is dangerous and not to be trusted. [insert examples] [end article]

Examples of the Moral credential effect bias:

Elected officials are often overconfident in their ability to lead and inflate the evidence.

Scientists believe they’re more unbiased than a religious person despite a study showing that scientists’ own research is more biased than a religious person’s!

People tend to overestimate the goodness of their moral motives after doing something good or altruistic.

Conclusion.

The moral credential effect can be dangerous when used to justify neglecting the future negative effects of our behavior. This often happens in politics where elected officials are seen as virtuous because they have a high moral status due to being an elected official. However, this is fallacious for many reasons one of which being that they are more biased than other professions which doesn’t fit their inflated sense of superiority! You should always ask yourself if you would approve of others doing what you plan on doing before making any decisions especially if it’s something bad!

What is the Functional fixedness bias?

The Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias where people have problem solving problems in an unconventional way because they are too attached to the original purpose of an object.  For example, if you were given a box full of nails, instead of thinking about the other possible uses for the box (like holding pens or pencils), you might think that it could only be used as a storage space for nails.

Why this bias is dangerous?

This unconscious mindset prevents us from seeing or even projecting creative ideas that can solve or resolve different situations. It’s important to keep in mind that our thoughts are often biased by our experiences and knowledge acquired over time. Even though there are several cognitive biases, functional fixed is one of the most common biases.

Why do people use this bias?

According to the functional fixedness, we tend to limit objects and their possible uses. It’s natural for us to think that some things cannot be used in a different way than they were initially designed for. For example: if you were given a toothbrush and all you know is its original purpose (cleaning your teeth), it’d be difficult to think about other functions like creating a mini waterslide (just add water).

How do people use this bias?

When someone falls under the trap of functional fixedness, he or she can’t see beyond the object’s primary function. That person will have difficulties seeing how the object could be used another context or situation that doesn’t involve its primary function.

How can we create this bias?

You can create a functional fixedness by forcing people to see only one way of using an object. For example, if you ask someone how they would use a hammer, they might say something like « I would hit nails with it. » If you then tell them not to think about that particular use, they will have difficulty thinking of other uses for the hammer. In some cases, they might even have trouble identifying the object as a hammer.

How to avoid this bias?

In order to avoid being trapped by the functional fixedness bias, it is important to understand that objects exist in different contexts and scenarios where they could be in more than one way depending on the situation. It’s also important to understand that not every red object is a fire extinguisher and not every stick can be used as a baton.

Functional fixedness examples:

– Someone trying to cut cheese with a toothbrush (a typical functional fixedness example)

– A student asking for help with solving two problems but refusing because his or her friend only knows how to solve one of them

– A person who cannot think of other ways to use a hammer, besides hitting nails with it

– An iPod being used as an MP3 player rather than being recognized as something capable of other uses depending on location, time, etc.. For example, using an as your alarm clock in the morning.

Which profession use the bias?

People use this bias in different levels of education, starting with kids at elementary school and ending with adults looking to solve problems in professional situations. People who work within the realm of science are more prone to functional fixedness than people working in other fields because they learn very early on that not everything can be used for multiple purposes. Another example of profession using the bias is engineers. They are very interested in finding out what things can do or how they were made but sometimes get trapped into an object’s purpose which prevents them from seeing beyond that scope.

Conclusion.

Being aware of your thoughts and how you perceive the things around you can help you avoid falling into the functional fixedness trap. In order to do this, try thinking about a problem from different perspectives or looking for other uses for an object besides the one you know it was designed for. Being flexible with your way of thinking is a good practice that will not only improve your creativity but also allow you to avoid unnecessary mistakes by limiting yourself. If someone came up with a new way to use a hammer, why not give it a shot? Your lack of knowledge or experience shouldn’t prevent you from trying out new things and seeing what they can lead to either.

What is the Essentialism bias?

The Essentialism bias is a cognitive bias that favors ideas or objects that have an underlying nature that can be defined. Essentialism helps people to create rules, categories and hierarchies while ignoring exceptions to these structures.

Why this bias is dangerous?

Essentialism is considered to be dangerous, because it can lead to discrimination and stereotypes. People who share essentialist beliefs tend to see the differences between social groups (men and women) as innate and immutable. Essentialist beliefs can make people believe their own stereotypes about a group of people, without questioning these views or considering other explanations for the observed behavior.

Why do people use this bias?

People use the Essentialism bias when they cannot explain something in circumstances where they normally would be able to account for an event that has occurred. Instead of using Occam’s Razor (the simplest solution), they apply essentialism when needed to create an explanation that fits with what they already think about the world.

How do people use this bias?

People tend to use essentialism when they need to make sense of the world around them. They apply their beliefs, experiences and biases to fit an explanation that explains why something is happening. People will either reduce complex events into simpler versions or have more nuanced explanations with different levels of detail. For example, someone might say that getting dumped is due to being on a bad run in terms of relationships rather than believing it is just ‘bad luck.’

Essentialist thinking can lead people to believe that there are only two types of personality – introverts and extroverts – where really there are at least four groups of personality types based on these variables. People who think in this way generally over-simplify information and ignore any exceptions to their thinking.

How can we create this bias?

People create this bias when they use their own experiences of the world to explain what is happening around them. They might rely on personal anecdotes, generalize their beliefs and apply these rules without considering exceptions. Often people who think in an essentialist way will describe themselves as more complex than others because they see themselves as someone who has many different traits that do not fit into one category.

How to avoid this bias?

One way to avoid thinking with the Essentialism cognitive bias is by using Occam’s Razor (the simplest solution) when trying to make sense of something. Instead of over-complicating why something happened, it is often helpful to break down events into smaller components which are easier for people to understand. When treating others remember that every person is unique and the likelihood of them having any one trait is very unlikely.

Essentialism bias examples:

Homosexuality – there are many religions that believe homosexuality to be a sin because it goes against God’s design for humans, therefore if someone thinks in an essentialist way then they would assume that all homosexual people went against God’s plan when he created human beings.

Stereotyping – essentialist thinking often leads people to think everyone of one group possesses some character trait. For example, all teenage girls wear makeup and dye their hair the same color or that gay men enjoy shopping and fashion.

Other examples: child abuse; crime; stereotypes; bullying; politics; race issues…

Conclusion:

Essentialism is dangerous because it causes us to make assumptions about entire groups of people based on a few examples. If we think about people as individual members of a group, rather than part of a clearly outlined category, then we will be able to make more accurate judgements and learn from our mistakes.

What is the Stereotyping bias?

The Stereotyping bias is the tendency to believe that members of a particular group possess specific characteristics, based on their membership in that group.

Stereotyping can involve ascribing a characteristic to an entire group, assuming that all individuals belonging to said group share said characteristic. For example; men are rational and women are emotional or black people are lazy.

Why this bias is dangerous?

It’s dangerous because it makes you stereotype others which can be harmful for them like racists do. Sometimes stereotypes provoke hate crimes against other ethnicities/religions/countries etcetera. It also affects your life then you start basing things on stereotypes like what should I buy according to my race so I don’t get judged wrongly by other people.

Why do people use this bias?

People use this bias because they believe it and disbelieve what they don’t feel comfortable with, so if they think that something is normal their brain doesn’t question it. Also people want to simplify things and sometimes using stereotypes can be easier than accepting the truth.

How do people use this bias?

People usually use this bias when someone else is telling them about a certain group of people without knowing too much about the topic. They start asking questions like « Have you seen my new car? » or « I just met such a nice guy! ». Another way of using the Stereotyping bias is asking for an advice from someone who shares your ethnicity/religion/race etc. about something specific like « my neighbour’s son is always looking at me weird, what should I do? ».

How can we create this bias?

This bias can be easily created if you don’t know too much about a certain group of people. It also helps to meet stereotypes in the media (tv, books etc.) that are made up by writers who don’t know anything more than their imagination or internet forums where anyone can post anything they want. For example; on the internet someone writes that black people are bad drivers and afterwards everyone start believing it without knowing what percentage of them actually is not good drivers.

How to avoid this bias?

The only way to prevent using the Stereotyp bias is using facts instead of stereotypes. It’s better to go out and meet new people from different parts of the world instead of understanding things through stereotypes because you can’t properly judge someone by only one characteristic.

Stereotyping bias examples:

-« The French are rude. »

-« I don’t trust people from the Orient. »

-« She’s so hot, she must be dumb. »

-« He’s a geek, he likes all those nerdy games and sci-fi movies. « 

Which profession use the bias?

People who work in public services like police officers etc. because they meet a lot of different types of people every day and their job is to help them not judge them without knowing too much information. Also doctors have to avoid this bias when meeting new patients because it could determine how seriously they take their symptoms.

Conclusion.

The Stereotyping bias can make you lose respect for other cultures/religions/countries which leads to hate crimes and it can make you miss out on a lot of great opportunities in life. It’s better to use facts when trying to understand certain groups of people instead of using stereotypes because they are often wrong and misleading.