How to Identify Confirmation Bias: 3 Ways to Reduce Bias

Confirmation bias, also known as confirmatory bias or the “myside bias,” is the tendency of people to seek out information that supports something they already believe. This type of bias affects our critical thinking, causing people to remember the hits and forget the misses—a flaw in human reasoning. People will often cue into things that matter to them (the things that support their own beliefs) and dismiss the things that don’t. This can lead to the ostrich effect, where a subject has overconfidence in their own opinions, and “buries their head in the sand” to avoid contradictory evidence that may disprove their original point of view.

Confirmation bias affects everyone in ways big and small, from their own opinions to how they read and understand the news. Here are some examples of confirmation biases:

1. 1. Personal interpretations. People with a pre-existing notion in their head about a certain idea are not reliable eyewitnesses. For example, a person who thinks all children annoy and misbehave will see a child acting out and use this to reaffirm their opinion, whereas someone who loves children will look at a child and see someone who just wants love and attention. Both opinions are shaped by the inherent opinion towards children in general, which shapes how they view a situation.
2. 2. Social interactions. Some people get antsy when they send a text and don’t receive a reply back. They start to invent stories in their head as to why their friend or loved one may not be answering. The longer the silence continues, the more affirmed the person feels—having their insecurities confirmed by a lack of response, rather than assuming the person is just busy at the moment.
3. 3. Scientific research. Bias plagues the research community. Scientists who work for years on a hypothesis or lengthy research question may tend to only look at the positive outcomes that support their thesis, and ignore the parts of the results that don’t necessarily contribute to its success.
4. 4. Media. News outlets employ plenty of writers and researchers with their own preconceptions. Some of these people write (or influence the writers) with biased information, leading to sensational or attention-grabbing new headlines that are often seen by those whose views they already align with. People might see a headline that expresses their own opinion, and take it to be a true statement, validating their own beliefs.

Biases influence all human decision-making, so it’s important to be aware of how these preconceived notions can influence our behavior and choices. Here are a few tips on how to reduce confirmation bias:

1. 1. Allow yourself to be wrong. If you want to get closer to objective truths, you have to be able to admit you were wrong, especially in the face of new data. If you can’t admit defeat, it makes you incapable of making new discoveries in this world. You can avoid biases by being aware of your belief systems, whether your belief is for a religion, a political ideology, a cultural worldview, or something else. Be open to disconfirmation, and allow yourself to be wrong.
2. 2. Test your hypothesis. We’re typically more aware of our assumptions than of our biases, but like biases, assumptions often keep us from thinking clearly. Before Einstein came up with his general theory of relativity, the common assumption was that the universe was static—neither expanding nor contracting. Einstein’s equations allowed for a dynamic universe, but his idea was rejected outright. Later on, Edwin Hubble would show that the universe is expanding. It’s risky to presume that your assumptions are correct. Always test your hypotheses. You can do this by searching out disconfirming evidence of your theories, and forming factually-supported arguments with new evidence that can further prove your point.
3. 3. Beware of repetition. Political and religious tenets often get repeated—for emphasis, for intensity, for effect. This tactic is actually a form of brainwashing wherein you begin to think that something is true simply because you’ve heard it so many times. It is one of many weaknesses in the human sensory system. It’s also how dictatorships and cults operate. Listen for repetition and be especially skeptical of what powerful people tell you again and again and again.

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