Cognitive biases in real situations
The same handful of mental shortcuts distort every decision — but which ones bite depends on what you’re doing. Each page names the specific biases that hijack one real situation, how each one bites there, and the books that teach you to catch them.
Which biases matter most? The State of Thinking 2026 — measured, not voted →
Cognitive biases in negotiation
How cognitive biases distort negotiation — anchoring, loss aversion, framing and more — and how spotting them helps you strike better deals.
10 biases
Cognitive biases in investing
The cognitive biases that hurt investors most — loss aversion, overconfidence, recency and more — and how noticing them protects your returns.
10 biases
Cognitive biases in hiring
How cognitive biases skew hiring decisions — the halo effect, confirmation bias, in-group bias and more — and how to judge candidates fairly.
10 biases
Cognitive biases in meetings
The cognitive biases that derail meetings — bandwagon, authority bias, anchoring and more — and how spotting them leads to better decisions.
10 biases
Cognitive biases in performance reviews
How cognitive biases distort performance reviews — recency, halo, contrast effects and more — and how to rate people more fairly.
11 biases
Cognitive biases in planning & estimation
The cognitive biases behind blown timelines — the planning fallacy, optimism bias, base-rate neglect and more — and how to estimate realistically.
10 biases
Cognitive biases in product decisions
How cognitive biases derail product decisions — false consensus, confirmation bias, the IKEA effect and more — and how to build what users need.
11 biases
Cognitive biases in studying & learning
The cognitive biases that sabotage studying — overconfidence, Dunning–Kruger, mere exposure and more — and how to learn more effectively.
10 biases
Cognitive biases in relationships
How cognitive biases strain relationships — the fundamental attribution error, empathy gap, negativity bias — and how naming them defuses recurring fights.
10 biases
Cognitive biases in shopping & spending
The cognitive biases retailers design for — anchoring, decoy pricing, the endowment effect, buy-now-pay-later present bias — and how to spot them before you pay.
11 biases
Looking for the tools instead of the traps? Mental models for real work →