In order to process all the operations our mind needs to process during the day it needs a lot of energy.
So, with the help of shortcuts and biases, it save as much energy as it can without losing its efficiency.
These biases skew our sense of reality. But mostly, we tend to take decisions based on a false reality.
The human mind makes over 200 known biases and it integrates within its way of thinking.
We use biases daily to save mental energy and make quick decisions. You’ll understand how flawed our perception of reality and reasoning are. Here are the 10 most common biases.
10 Most Common Flaws Of Thinking:
- Filtering
You magnify the negative details of a situation and filter out all the positive aspects of it.
How to combat it?
List all the positive details about a negative situation.
- Polarized Thinking
You see things as Black and White, Good or Bad. It means that you are perfect or you are a failure. And there’s nothing between black and white.
How to combat it?
Between the black and white, there are also many shades. The nature doesn’t give any extreme things. It’s the way how we see certain things. Something that is not perfect doesn’t mean it is garbage.
- Overgeneralization
You quickly come to a conclusion on a situation without further research.
How to combat it?
You need to consider the place you get the evidence, the trustworthiness of the source of the evidence, and if there’s any other evidence to back this assumption. You also need to consider if this happen at least 3 times with the same conditions and there are another instances you can think of where the same conditions applied and the situation didn’t happen.
- Mind Reading
You assume what people think and feel without their saying so. You also wonder why they act the way they do.
How to combat it?
The truth is that we can’t read other people’s minds. We can just assume what they think based on their gestures and clues. But it’s not the exact thing they think. We do it by projecting our own thoughts and assume what they would think. We can connect with someone to such level, but it takes many years and then also most of times our assumptions are wrong.
- Catastrophizing
You always wish the worst. You start thinking What If It Happened To You, when you notice a problem around you.
How to combat it?
When something happen around you, don’t think that it’ll happen to you. There is lot of people around you, why only you?
- Personalization
You tend to think that every action people say or do is some kind of reaction to you. You always try to compare who is better looking, smarter, etc.
How to combat it?
People care about themselves that you. They don’t have time to think about you as they are obsessed with their own insecurities. You assume everyone around you care about you as you care about yourself the most.
- Control Fallacies
You see yourself as helpless, a victim of fate when you feel externally controlled. When you feel internally controlled by yourself, you feel responsible for the pain and happiness of everyone around you.
How to combat it?
The only have to take the responsibility of your life. And you should know that there are things outside of your control. You can control only your choices. But you can’t make them feel happy if they don’t choose to be happy.
- Fallacy Of Fairness
When you think you know what’s fair and others do not agree with you, you feel resentful.
How to combat it?
Not everyone see through the same perspective. You can learn why they would not agree with you, would be their reasoning if you see through their eyes. You can just let them know why you think they are wrong and you are right without spreading anger. You’ll be able to the flaw in your perception by converse the topic. You only need to express your truth as it will give you clarity.
- Blaming
You think that others are responsible for your pain.
How to combat it?
They might have hurt you, but remember that they are not responsible for your pain. They may have done something to hurt you, but you have the responsibility to heal yourself. Instead of seeking revenge you should heal yourself. You need to be selfish about this.
- Should
There’s a list for you of rules and commandments about how everyone should act. It will make you extremely angry if someone breaks a rule and you feel guilty if you violate a rule.
How to combat it?
Don’t think that people will listen to you in a society where nobody knows the right way to. There’s no one who is born with a guide book. At certain times, you rules may create more suffering than reduce it. We all follow a different path to the truth. Don’t think that the same rules that worked for you will work for anyone else. You can have your own boundaries, but don’t let others to follow your boundaries. Let them live in their own boundaries.
