## 5.2 Confirmation bias

Confirmation bias refers to your unconscious tendency to seek, collect, interpret and remember evidence that confirms your existing beliefs.

By only remembering details that support your beliefs, you miss important information. You are therefore less likely to believe examples that claim the opposite. As a result, you are quick to attach meaning to specific information, regardless of whether it is correct or not. Because you tend to believe what you want to believe it is difficult to make objective evaluations. Which can have a negative effect on the decisions you make.

A confirmation bias consists of two factors:

1. You want confirmation that you are right.
2. You do not want to find out that you are wrong.

Confirmation bias causes you to seek information that confirms you in:

- Your existing beliefs based on your experiences;
- The correctness of your judgments or decisions;
- Your philosophy of life;
- Your professional ideals.

As a result, your confirmation bias affects various things, such as:

- How you view political campaigns;
- How you conduct research;
- How you interpret stereotypes;
- How you search for information.