Also known as Cognitive biases, Thinking bias, Heuristic
A predictable error in thinking that comes from the mental shortcuts the brain uses to make quick judgements. Everyone has them; they are not a sign of illness.
In Psychology
A cognitive bias is a systematic, predictable way in which human judgement strays from logic or evidence. Most come from heuristics — mental shortcuts that let us decide quickly with limited information. They usually work well enough, which is why we have them, but they fail in predictable ways.
Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman's 1974 paper in Science laid the foundation, describing three shortcuts: judging by how typical something looks, by how easily examples come to mind, and by adjusting from a first number (anchoring). A health example of the second: after a cousin's heart attack, a harmless chest twinge suddenly feels much more likely to be serious.
Cognitive biases are part of normal thinking. They differ from , the term used in for the harsh, exaggerated thinking patterns that keep depression and anxiety going, though the two overlap. Read more on cognitive biases.
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