Common Source Bias – when everyone repeats the same thing

Summary: You watch the news, read blogs, study research – and everywhere you see the same thing? It seems like solid information, but if all sources refer to the same origin, it’s just an echo, not verification.


Conservatism Bias – when new evidence doesn't change old beliefs

Summary: You receive new information, but it barely changes your opinion? That’s Conservatism Bias – the tendency to insufficiently revise one's beliefs even when presented with new evidence.


Functional Fixedness – when objects can only be used one way

Summary: Do you see an object and think it can only be used for its intended purpose? That’s Functional Fixedness – the tendency to perceive an object only in its traditional role, ignoring other possible uses.


Clustering Illusion – when randomness looks like a pattern

Summary: Do you see patterns where none exist? That’s Clustering Illusion – the tendency to overestimate the importance of small streaks, clusters, or runs in large sets of random data.


Illusory Correlation – when you see a connection that isn’t there

Summary: Do you think two events are connected when it’s just coincidence? That’s Illusory Correlation – the tendency to see a relationship between unrelated things.


Pareidolia – when your brain sees patterns that aren’t there

Summary: Do you see faces in clouds or hear ‘hidden messages’ in music? That’s pareidolia – the tendency to perceive random images or sounds as meaningful.


Anthropocentric Thinking – when everything is judged by human standards

Summary: Do you assume animals think and feel just like humans? That’s Anthropocentric Thinking – the tendency to use human experiences as the basis for understanding everything else, even if it operates on completely different principles.


Anthropomorphism – when objects and animals get human traits

Summary: Do you think your cat feels offended or that a robot has emotions? That’s Anthropomorphism – the tendency to attribute human traits, emotions, or intentions to animals, objects, or abstract concepts.


Attentional Bias – when your thoughts control what you see

Summary: Do you notice only what’s on your mind? That’s Attentional Bias – the tendency to focus on information related to your current thoughts or concerns while ignoring everything else.


Frequency Illusion – when something new suddenly appears everywhere

Summary: Did you recently learn about something and now it seems to be everywhere? That’s Frequency Illusion (also known as the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon) – a cognitive bias that makes us think something appears more frequently than before, when in reality we’ve just started noticing it.


Implicit Association – when your brain links things faster than you realize

Summary: Do some words or concepts seem to connect faster in your mind than others? That’s Implicit Association – the effect where the speed of linking words depends on how closely they seem related, even if the connection is subjective.


Salience Bias – when the striking overshadows the relevant

Summary: Do you focus only on the most striking things while ignoring the less noticeable ones? That’s Salience Bias – the tendency to concentrate on the most prominent details, even when they are not the most important.


Selection Bias – when the sample doesn’t reflect reality

Summary: Are you making conclusions based on a sample that doesn’t represent the whole picture? That’s Selection Bias – an error that occurs when data is not randomly selected and doesn’t reflect reality.


Survivorship Bias – when you only see the winners

Summary: Do you think success is just a matter of making the right choices because all you see are winners? That’s Survivorship Bias – the tendency to focus on those who ‘made it’ while ignoring those who didn’t because they’re invisible.


Quantification Bias – when only measurable things seem to matter

Summary: Do you trust numbers more than anything else? That’s Quantification Bias – the tendency to give more weight to measurable data while ignoring what can’t be easily quantified.


Well-Travelled Road Effect – when familiar routes feel faster

Summary: Does your daily commute feel shorter than a new route of the same distance? That’s Well-Travelled Road Effect – the tendency to underestimate travel time on familiar routes and overestimate it on unfamiliar ones.


Normalcy Bias – when you believe nothing bad will happen

Summary: Do you believe disasters only happen to others, not you? That’s Normalcy Bias – the tendency to ignore or underestimate the likelihood of rare but serious events just because they haven’t happened before.


Effort Justification – when hard work makes something seem more valuable

Summary: Does something feel more valuable just because you worked hard for it? That’s Effort Justification – the tendency to overvalue things that required significant effort, even if the outcome isn’t objectively worth it.


Ben Franklin Effect – when doing a favor makes you like someone more

Summary: Do you like someone more after doing them a favor? That’s Ben Franklin Effect – when we’ve already helped someone, we’re more likely to help them again, convincing ourselves that we like them.


Backfire Effect – when evidence makes false beliefs stronger

Summary: Do you double down on your beliefs when confronted with contradicting evidence? That’s Backfire Effect – the tendency to not just reject inconvenient facts, but to become even more convinced of your original belief.


Congruence Bias – when you only test what you want to confirm

Summary: Do you test a hypothesis only in ways that confirm it, rather than trying to disprove it? That’s Congruence Bias – the tendency to seek evidence that supports an idea while ignoring alternative explanations.


Experimenter’s Bias – when you see only what you expect

Summary: Do you only notice results that confirm your hypothesis? That’s Experimenter’s Bias – the tendency to give more weight to data that aligns with expectations while downplaying or ignoring conflicting results.


Observer-Expectancy Effect – when wanting a result makes it appear

Summary: Does a researcher believe in a certain outcome and unconsciously shape the data to fit? That’s Observer-Expectancy Effect – when an experimenter unintentionally influences results by modifying the experiment or interpreting data in a biased way.


Selective Perception – when you only see what you expect

Summary: Do you notice only what confirms your expectations while ignoring everything else? That’s Selective Perception – the tendency to filter information through existing beliefs and disregard anything that doesn’t fit.


False Consensus Effect – when you think everyone agrees with you

Summary: Do you believe most people share your opinions and choices? That’s False Consensus Effect – the tendency to overestimate how much others agree with you.


False Uniqueness Bias – when you think you’re more unique than you are

Summary: Do you believe your ideas, talents, or projects are one of a kind, while others are just average? That’s False Uniqueness Bias – the tendency to overestimate how special you are and underestimate how many others share similar qualities.


Forer (Barnum) Effect – when vague statements feel deeply personal

Summary: Have you ever read a horoscope or personality test and thought, “This is so me!”? That’s Forer (Barnum) Effect – the tendency to believe vague descriptions are uniquely accurate for you, even though they apply to most people.


Illusion of Asymmetric Insight – when you think you understand others better than they understand you

Summary: Do you think you see through people, but they don’t understand you? That’s Illusion of Asymmetric Insight – the tendency to overestimate how well you know others while believing they don’t understand you as well.


Illusion of Control – when you think you have more influence than you do

Summary: Do you believe your actions influence events that are actually out of your control? That’s Illusion of Control – the tendency to overestimate your ability to manage external circumstances.


Illusion of Transparency – when you think people can read your mind

Summary: Do you think others understand your thoughts and emotions as clearly as you do? That’s Illusion of Transparency – the tendency to overestimate how much others perceive your mental state and how well you understand theirs.


Illusion of Validity – when you think your judgments are more accurate than they are

Summary: Do you believe your judgments are accurate just because the available information fits together well? That’s Illusion of Validity – the tendency to overestimate the accuracy of one’s judgments, especially when data appears logically consistent.


Illusory Superiority – when you think you’re better than most people

Summary: Do you think you drive better than the average driver? Or that your decisions are more rational than most people’s? That’s Illusory Superiority – the tendency to overestimate your good qualities and underestimate your flaws compared to others.


Naïve Cynicism – when you think others are more selfish than you

Summary: Do you believe that people act selfishly while your own actions are purely rational and fair? That’s Naïve Cynicism – the tendency to assume others are biased and self-serving, while seeing yourself as objective and sincere.


Naïve Realism – when you think you see the world as it really is

Summary: Do you believe your views are based on objective facts, while those who disagree are simply misinformed or biased? That’s Naïve Realism – the tendency to think you see reality as it truly is, while others are clouded by ignorance or irrationality.


Overconfidence Effect – when you're sure, but still wrong

Summary: Do you say you’re 99% sure about something, only to find out you were wrong? That’s Overconfidence Effect – the tendency to overestimate the accuracy of your knowledge and decisions, even when mistakes are likely.


Planning Fallacy – when you think things will take less time than they do

Summary: Did you promise to finish on time, but missed the deadline again? That’s Planning Fallacy – the tendency to underestimate how long a task will take, even when you’ve made the same mistake before.


Restraint Bias – when you think you have more self-control than you do

Summary: Do you think you can resist temptation, but end up giving in anyway? That’s Restraint Bias – the tendency to overestimate your ability to maintain self-control.


Third-Person Effect – when you think media influences others, but not you

Summary: Do you believe that advertising, propaganda, or news influence others, but not you? That’s Third-Person Effect – the tendency to think mass media shapes other people’s opinions while leaving your own perception untouched.


Base Rate Fallacy – when you ignore general statistics for a specific case

Summary: Do you trust vivid examples more than dry statistics? That’s Base Rate Fallacy – when general probabilities are ignored in favor of specific cases, even when statistics provide a more accurate prediction.


Compassion Fade – when one victim moves you more than a thousand

Summary: Do you feel more moved by the story of one child in need than by statistics about millions suffering? That’s Compassion Fade – the tendency to emotionally react to personal stories while ignoring large-scale suffering.


Conjunction Fallacy – when a specific scenario seems more likely than a general one

Summary: Do detailed stories seem more likely than simple ones? That’s Conjunction Fallacy – the tendency to assume that a specific combination of conditions is more probable than a single condition, even though that’s statistically impossible.


Duration Neglect – when the ending matters more than the experience

Summary: Does a long enjoyable experience feel no better than a short one if it ended badly? That’s Duration Neglect – the tendency to judge experiences based on their final moments rather than their overall length.


Hyperbolic Discounting – when the present matters more than the future

Summary: Do you promise to start exercising next week, only to push it back when the time comes? That’s Hyperbolic Discounting – the tendency to prefer immediate rewards over long-term benefits, even if your future self will regret it.


Insensitivity to Sample Size – when small samples mislead you

Summary: Do you make conclusions based on just a few examples, assuming they reflect reality? That’s Insensitivity to Sample Size – the tendency to underestimate how much small samples can distort results.


Less-Is-Better Effect – when less seems more valuable

Summary: Do you prefer a small but high-quality reward over a larger but less impressive one? That’s Less-Is-Better Effect – the tendency to see a smaller set as more valuable when judged separately, but to prefer the larger set when compared directly.


Scope Neglect – when 2,000 and 20,000 victims feel the same

Summary: Would you pay the same amount to help 2,000 people as you would for 20,000? That’s Scope Neglect – the tendency to respond emotionally rather than rationally, failing to account for the actual size of a problem.


Zero-Risk Bias – when eliminating a small risk feels better than reducing a big one

Summary: Do you prefer eliminating a small risk entirely rather than significantly reducing a bigger one? That’s Zero-Risk Bias – the tendency to feel safer when a risk is reduced to zero, even if it’s not the most rational choice.


Agent Detection Bias – when you see intention behind randomness

Summary: Do you feel like strange events happen for a reason, as if someone is behind them? That’s Agent Detection Bias – the tendency to see intent and intelligence behind random events, even when there’s no real agent involved.


Automation Bias – when you blindly trust automated systems

Summary: Do you follow your GPS even when it leads you into a dead end? That’s Automation Bias – the tendency to over-rely on technology, even when it’s wrong.


Gender Bias – when gender shapes expectations

Summary: Do you assume engineers are mostly men and teachers are mostly women? That’s Gender Bias – implicit assumptions that lead us to perceive people differently based on gender, even when there’s no rational basis for it.


Sexual Perception Bias – when you misread romantic signals

Summary: Do you think someone is flirting when they’re just being polite? Or do you miss obvious signals of interest? That’s Sexual Perception Bias – the tendency to either overestimate or underestimate someone’s romantic interest in you.


Stereotyping – when you judge a person based on their group

Summary: Do you think programmers are introverted and athletes aren’t smart? That’s Stereotyping – the tendency to expect people to have certain traits just because they belong to a group, even when you have no actual information about them.


Conservatism Bias – when new evidence doesn’t change old beliefs

Summary: Do you stick to your beliefs even when new facts contradict them? That’s Conservatism Bias – the tendency to underweight new information and fail to update beliefs sufficiently.


Functional Fixedness – when objects can do more than you think

Summary: Do you hold a screwdriver and not realize you can use it to open a bottle? That’s Functional Fixedness – the tendency to see objects only in their usual roles, even when they have other possible uses.


Law of the Instrument – when one tool feels like the answer to everything

Summary: When you have a hammer, does everything look like a nail? That’s Law of the Instrument – the tendency to over-rely on familiar tools or methods while ignoring better alternatives.


Decoy Effect – when a third option pushes you toward the second

Summary: Do you choose between two options, but then a third one appears, making the second option look better? That’s Decoy Effect – a marketing trick designed to push you toward a specific choice.


Default Effect – when you stick with the pre-set option

Summary: Do you leave checkboxes as they are when filling out a form? That’s Default Effect – the tendency to go with pre-set options, even if an alternative might be better.


Denomination Effect – when small bills disappear faster

Summary: Is it easier to spend a handful of coins than a single large bill? That’s Denomination Effect – the tendency to spend money more easily when it’s in smaller denominations.


Distinction Bias – when differences seem bigger than they are

Summary: Do two smartphones seem drastically different in a store, but once you buy one, the difference feels minimal? That’s Distinction Bias – the tendency to perceive differences as more significant when evaluating options side by side.


Domain Neglect Bias – when you ignore relevant knowledge from other fields

Summary: Do you think you can run a business without understanding human psychology? That’s Domain Neglect Bias – the tendency to ignore relevant knowledge from other fields when solving complex problems.


Context Neglect Bias – when technology forgets about people

Summary: Do you build complex systems without considering how real people will use them? That’s Context Neglect Bias – the tendency to solve technological challenges without accounting for human behavior and needs.


Berkson’s Paradox – when two things seem connected, but they aren’t

Summary: Does it seem like successful people are less kind because there aren’t many kind, successful people? That’s Berkson’s Paradox – a logical fallacy where an observed relationship between variables appears due to selection bias, not real causation.


Escalation of Commitment – when you keep investing despite clear failure

Summary: Do you keep watching a boring movie just because you’ve already spent an hour on it? That’s Escalation of Commitment (Sunk Cost Fallacy) – the tendency to keep investing in a failing decision just because too much has already been put in.


G.I. Joe Fallacy – when you think knowing a bias makes you immune to it

Summary: Do you think that just knowing about cognitive biases makes you immune to them? That’s G.I. Joe Fallacy – the belief that awareness of a bias is enough to eliminate its effects. Unfortunately, self-control doesn’t work that way.


Gambler’s Fallacy – when you think the past changes the future odds

Summary: Do you think that after flipping five heads in a row, tails is ‘due’ to happen next? That’s Gambler’s Fallacy – the mistaken belief that past events influence future probabilities, even when each event is independent.


Hot-Hand Fallacy – when you think winning increases your chances of winning again

Summary: Did you make three shots in a row and now feel like the fourth is more likely to go in? That’s Hot-Hand Fallacy – the belief that after a streak of success, your chances of continued success increase, even when events are random.


Plan Continuation Bias – when you stick to the plan even when the situation has changed

Summary: Have you ever stuck to a route even after realizing there’s a shorter path? That’s Plan Continuation Bias – the tendency to stick to an initial plan, even when the situation has changed and it no longer makes sense.


Subadditivity Effect – when parts seem more probable than the whole

Summary: Do events seem more likely when broken into parts than when considered as a whole? That’s Subadditivity Effect – the tendency to judge the probability of separate components as higher than the probability of the entire event.


Time-Saving Bias – when speed tricks your sense of time

Summary: Do you think increasing speed from 80 to 100 km/h saves a lot of time, while 20 to 40 km/h barely makes a difference? That’s Time-Saving Bias – the tendency to overestimate time saved at high speeds and underestimate time saved at low speeds.


Zero-Sum Bias – when you think someone’s gain is your loss

Summary: Do you think that if someone gets richer, others must get poorer? That’s Zero-Sum Bias – the mistaken belief that one person’s gain must come at another’s expense, even when resources can grow.


Ambiguity Effect – when you avoid the unknown, even if it might be better

Summary: Do you avoid trying a new restaurant because there are no reviews, even though it might be better? That’s Ambiguity Effect – the tendency to avoid options where the probability of success is unknown, even if they could be better.


Disposition Effect – when you sell winners but cling to losers

Summary: Do you sell stocks that have gained value but hold onto losing ones, hoping they’ll recover? That’s Disposition Effect – the tendency to cash in on winners too early and hold onto losers for too long.


Dread Aversion – when fearing the worst is worse than the event itself

Summary: Do you stress over an upcoming exam more than you actually suffer during it? That’s Dread Aversion – the tendency to experience fear of an unpleasant event much more intensely than the pleasure of anticipating a good one.


Endowment Effect – when what’s yours feels more valuable

Summary: Would you sell something only for much more than you’d be willing to pay for it? That’s Endowment Effect – the tendency to overvalue things just because you own them.


Loss Aversion – when losing hurts more than winning feels good

Summary: Does losing $100 feel much worse than finding $100 feels good? That’s Loss Aversion – the tendency to feel losses more intensely than equivalent gains.


Pseudocertainty Effect – when you avoid risk in gains but chase it in losses

Summary: Do you prefer a guaranteed win but take risks to avoid losses? That’s Pseudocertainty Effect – the tendency to be cautious when things are good but take risks when things go bad.


Status Quo Bias – when you resist change, even if it’s better

Summary: Do you stick with your old phone even though a new one would be better? That’s Status Quo Bias – the tendency to resist change and keep things as they are, even when change would be beneficial.


System Justification – when you defend the system, even if it harms you

Summary: Do you believe that if something has been around for a long time, it must be good? That’s System Justification – the tendency to defend the status quo, even when it’s unfair or personally harmful.


Dunning–Kruger Effect – when the less you know, the more confident you are

Summary: Does a beginner confidently explain a complex topic while an expert hesitates? That’s Dunning–Kruger Effect – the tendency for incompetent people to overestimate themselves, while true experts underestimate their knowledge.


Hot-Cold Empathy Gap – when you underestimate how emotions will change your choices

Summary: Do you believe you'll always eat healthy, but then grab fast food when hungry? That’s Hot-Cold Empathy Gap – the tendency to underestimate how emotions, fatigue, or cravings will influence your behavior.


Hard–Easy Effect – when hard tasks seem easier and easy tasks seem harder

Summary: Do you think you’ll learn a new language in a month but doubt you can pass a simple test? That’s Hard–Easy Effect – the tendency to overestimate performance on hard tasks and underestimate it on easy ones.


Illusion of Explanatory Depth – when you think you understand until you have to explain

Summary: Do you think you understand how a fridge works but struggle to explain what happens inside? That’s Illusion of Explanatory Depth – the tendency to overestimate your knowledge of a topic until you actually have to explain it.


Impostor Syndrome – when you fear being ‘exposed’ as a fraud

Summary: Do you achieve success but still feel like you're just faking it? That’s Impostor Syndrome – the tendency to downplay your achievements and fear that others will soon ‘expose’ you as incompetent.


Objectivity Illusion – when you believe you’re unbiased, unlike everyone else

Summary: Do you believe you see things as they truly are, while others are biased? That’s Objectivity Illusion – the tendency to think you’re rational and unbiased, but only notice cognitive errors in others.


Belief Bias – when you judge logic based on whether you agree with the conclusion

Summary: Do you only find arguments convincing when their conclusion aligns with your beliefs? That’s Belief Bias – the tendency to judge an argument’s strength based on how believable its conclusion seems, rather than its actual logic.


Illusory Truth Effect – when repeated lies start to feel like truth

Summary: Do statements seem more true the more you hear them? That’s Illusory Truth Effect – the tendency to believe information simply because it’s familiar or easy to process.


Rhyme as Reason Effect – when something feels true just because it rhymes

Summary: Do phrases like ‘If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit’ sound more convincing just because they rhyme? That’s Rhyme as Reason Effect – the tendency to perceive rhyming statements as more truthful, even when they lack substance.


Subjective Validation – when something feels true because you want it to be

Summary: Do you read a horoscope and think, ‘That’s so me!’? That’s Subjective Validation – the tendency to believe information is true if it aligns with your beliefs or desires, even if it’s vague or coincidental.


Action Bias – when taking action feels better than doing nothing

Summary: Do you feel the need to take action, even when waiting would be smarter? That’s Action Bias – the tendency to act in any situation, even when inaction would be more effective.


Additive Bias – when you add instead of subtracting

Summary: Do you think improving something always means adding more? That’s Additive Bias – the tendency to solve problems by adding new elements, even when removing something would work better.


Attribute Substitution – when your brain picks an easy answer instead of the right one

Summary: When faced with a complex question, your brain might unknowingly replace it with an easier one. That’s Attribute Substitution – the tendency to answer a simpler question instead of the actual, more difficult one.


Curse of Knowledge – when you forget what it’s like to be a beginner

Summary: Do you struggle to explain something in simple terms because it’s obvious to you? That’s Curse of Knowledge – a cognitive bias where knowledgeable people find it hard to see things from the perspective of those who don’t know.


Declinism – when the past seems golden, and the future looks bleak

Summary: Do you think the past was better, people were kinder, and life was simpler? That’s Declinism – the tendency to romanticize the past and believe the future will only get worse.


End-of-History Illusion – when you think you won’t change anymore

Summary: Do you think you’ve reached your final form and won’t change much in the future? That’s End-of-History Illusion – the belief that you will stay the same, even though you’ve changed a lot in the past.


Exaggerated Expectation – when reality is always less extreme than you imagined

Summary: Did you expect a disaster, but nothing happened? Or thought something would change your life, but it turned out underwhelming? That’s Exaggerated Expectation – the tendency to predict more extreme outcomes than what actually occurs.


Form-Function Attribution Bias – when you judge a robot by its looks, not its abilities

Summary: Do you see a cute robot and assume it’s smart and friendly? Or if it looks mechanical, do you think it’s incapable? That’s Form-Function Attribution Bias – the tendency to judge a robot’s abilities based on appearance rather than actual functionality.


Fundamental Pain Bias – when your pain is real, but others’ seem exaggerated

Summary: Do you believe your pain is real and objective, but others are just exaggerating? That’s Fundamental Pain Bias – the tendency to believe you report your own pain accurately while assuming others overstate theirs.


Hedonic Recall Bias – when satisfied employees think they earn more, and unhappy ones think they earn less

Summary: Do you feel satisfied with your salary and think you earn more than you actually do? Or, if you're unhappy, does your salary seem smaller than it really is? That’s Hedonic Recall Bias – the tendency to overestimate or underestimate earnings based on job satisfaction.


Hindsight Bias – when the past looks obvious in retrospect

Summary: Do past events seem obvious in hindsight? That’s Hindsight Bias – the tendency to see past events as more predictable than they actually were.


Impact Bias – when you overestimate how long or intense your emotions will be

Summary: Do you think winning the lottery will make you happy forever? Or that a failure will leave you devastated for months? That’s Impact Bias – the tendency to overestimate the intensity and duration of future emotions.


Information Bias – when you seek information that won’t change your decision

Summary: Do you believe more information always leads to better decisions? That’s Information Bias – the tendency to seek data even when it won’t impact your choice or actions.


Hungry Judge Effect – when your body makes decisions for you

Summary: Do you feel the world is more frustrating when you're hungry or tired? That’s Hungry Judge Effect – the tendency to judge situations more harshly or leniently depending on your physical state.


Money Illusion – when a bigger number feels like more money

Summary: Do you feel richer when your salary increases, even if prices rise even faster? That’s Money Illusion – the tendency to focus on the nominal value of money rather than its actual purchasing power.


Moral Credential Effect – when doing good gives you a pass to do bad

Summary: Do you feel like one good deed gives you a free pass for less ethical behavior? That’s Moral Credential Effect – the tendency to believe that doing good earns you the right to be less moral in the future.


Non-Adaptive Choice Switching – when one bad experience makes you avoid a good choice

Summary: Did you make the right decision, but due to bad luck, you now refuse to make it again? That’s Non-Adaptive Choice Switching – the tendency to avoid an optimal choice after one bad outcome.


Mere Exposure Effect – when you like something just because it’s familiar

Summary: Have you noticed that the more you see something, the more you like it? That’s Mere Exposure Effect – the tendency to prefer things just because they are familiar.


Omission Bias – when doing nothing feels safer than making a mistake

Summary: Do you believe that doing nothing is safer, even if it leads to bad outcomes? That’s Omission Bias – the tendency to view harmful actions as worse than equally harmful inactions.


Optimism Bias – when you believe things will go well, even if the odds say otherwise

Summary: Do you believe bad things happen to others, but not to you? That’s Optimism Bias – the tendency to underestimate negative events and overestimate positive outcomes.


Ostrich Effect – when you ignore a problem, hoping it will go away

Summary: Do you avoid checking your bank balance because you’re afraid of what you’ll see? That’s Ostrich Effect – the tendency to ignore negative information to avoid discomfort.


Outcome Bias – when you judge a decision by its result, not its quality

Summary: Do you think a decision was good just because it led to a positive outcome? That’s Outcome Bias – the tendency to judge the quality of a decision based on its final result rather than the logic behind it.


Pessimism Bias – when you believe everything will go wrong

Summary: Do you always expect the worst, even when there’s no real reason to? That’s Pessimism Bias – the tendency to overestimate the likelihood of negative events, especially in people prone to depression.


Present Bias – when you choose instant rewards over long-term benefits

Summary: Do you think, ‘Better a little now than more later’? That’s Present Bias – the tendency to overvalue short-term rewards and underestimate long-term consequences.


Plant Blindness – when you fail to notice the green world around you

Summary: Do you notice animals, buildings, and cars but overlook trees and flowers? That’s Plant Blindness – the tendency to ignore plants in the environment and underestimate their importance to life on Earth.


Prevention Bias – when prevention feels more valuable than response

Summary: Do you believe it’s better to invest in preventing problems than detecting and responding to them? That’s Prevention Bias – the tendency to overvalue prevention, even when detection and response are equally effective.


Probability Matching – when you guess instead of picking the best option

Summary: Do you spread your choices across different options, even when one is clearly better? That’s Probability Matching – the tendency to match choices to probabilities instead of always picking the best option.


Pro-Innovation Bias – when new technology seems perfect, and flaws are ignored

Summary: Do you believe every new technology is the future while ignoring its flaws? That’s Pro-Innovation Bias – the tendency to overestimate the benefits of innovations while underestimating their limitations.


Projection Bias – when you assume your future self will want what you want now

Summary: Do you think your future self will have the same preferences, habits, and values as you do now? That’s Projection Bias – the tendency to overestimate how much your future self will align with your current desires.


Proportionality Bias – when big events must have big causes

Summary: Do you struggle to believe that major events can happen by chance? That’s Proportionality Bias – the tendency to assume that big events must have equally big causes, even when they don’t.


Recency Illusion – when you think something is new just because you recently noticed it

Summary: Have you recently noticed a word, trend, or idea and assumed it’s brand new? That’s Recency Illusion – the tendency to believe something is new just because you’ve only recently become aware of it, even if it has existed for decades or centuries.


Systematic Bias – when errors in judgment follow a predictable pattern

Summary: Do you think your decisions are objective, but they follow a recurring pattern of errors? That’s Systematic Bias – when deviations in judgment or data are not random but follow a predictable trend.


Peltzman Effect – when feeling safe makes you take more risks

Summary: Do you act more recklessly when you feel safe, even though the risk remains? That’s Peltzman Effect – the tendency to offset increased safety by engaging in riskier behavior.


Surrogation – when the metric becomes more important than the goal

Summary: Do you focus so much on numbers that you forget what they represent? That’s Surrogation – the tendency to mistake a metric for the actual goal, leading people to optimize the measure rather than achieving real success.


Teleological Bias – when you see purpose where there is none

Summary: Do you believe everything happens for a reason? That’s Teleological Bias – the tendency to assign purpose or intention to events and objects, even when they arise randomly or without deliberate design.


Turkey Illusion – when you assume stability until disaster strikes

Summary: Do you assume things will stay the same just because they’ve always been stable? That’s Turkey Illusion – the tendency to ignore the risk of sudden change just because the past has been smooth.


Unit Bias – when you consume everything just because it’s the ‘right’ portion

Summary: Do you think a portion is the ‘right amount’ just because it’s served that way? That’s Unit Bias – the tendency to assume a standard serving size is ideal, even when it’s not.


Value Selection Bias – when you cling to numbers even when they don’t apply

Summary: Do you use numbers in a new context just because they exist? That’s Value Selection Bias – the tendency to rely on available numerical data even when logical reasoning or recalculation is needed.


Weber–Fechner Law – when small differences in big numbers go unnoticed

Summary: Can you tell the difference between 1 kg and 2 kg, but not between 101 kg and 102 kg? That’s Weber–Fechner Law – the difficulty in noticing small changes when dealing with large quantities.


Women Are Wonderful Effect – when women are seen more positively than men

Summary: Do you think women are naturally kinder, more honest, and caring? That’s Women Are Wonderful Effect – the tendency to associate more positive attributes with women than with men, regardless of actual behavior.


Authority Bias – when you trust authority figures, even if they’re wrong

Summary: Do you tend to trust experts, bosses, or celebrities just because they hold authority? That’s Authority Bias – the tendency to overvalue the accuracy of influential figures’ opinions, regardless of their actual validity.


Halo Effect – when one good trait overshadows everything else

Summary: Do you assume someone is smart just because they’re confident and charismatic? That’s Halo Effect – the tendency to attribute extra positive traits to a person based on one appealing characteristic.


Actor-Observer Bias – when you blame circumstances for yourself but personality for others

Summary: Late to a meeting? Well, traffic was terrible! Someone else is late? They must be irresponsible. That’s Actor-Observer Bias – the tendency to blame our own behavior on external circumstances while attributing others’ actions to their personality.


Defensive Attribution – when you blame more as the harm gets worse or feels personal

Summary: Do you feel a stronger urge to blame someone when an accident is severe or hits close to home? That’s Defensive Attribution – the tendency to assign more blame to a harm-doer as the outcome worsens or if you relate to the victim.


Extrinsic Incentives Bias – when you think others work for rewards, but you work for passion

Summary: Do you think your colleagues work just for money while you do it out of passion? That’s Extrinsic Incentives Bias – the tendency to believe others are motivated by external rewards while you act out of genuine interest.


Group Attribution Error – when you judge a whole group based on one person

Summary: Did you meet one rude tourist and assume their entire country is like that? That’s Group Attribution Error – the tendency to believe that an individual’s behavior represents their entire group.


Hostile Attribution Bias – when you see hostility even where there is none

Summary: Did someone bump into you, and you assume it was on purpose? That’s Hostile Attribution Bias – the tendency to see neutral or accidental actions as intentionally aggressive.


Intentionality Bias – when you assume everything is done on purpose

Summary: Did someone step on your foot, and you assume they did it on purpose? That’s Intentionality Bias – the tendency to believe people’s actions are deliberate, even when they’re accidental.


Just-World Hypothesis – when you believe people get what they deserve

Summary: Do you think poor people are just lazy and rich people earned their success? That’s Just-World Hypothesis – the tendency to believe everything happens fairly, even when events are random or unjust.


Moral Luck – when you judge morality based on the outcome, not the intent

Summary: If someone accidentally hits a pedestrian, they’re a terrible person, but if they just ran a red light and nothing happened – it’s ‘no big deal’? That’s Moral Luck – the tendency to judge actions based on their outcome rather than the intent behind them.


Puritanical Bias – when people blame morality instead of circumstances

Summary: Do you believe poor people are just lazy? That’s Puritanical Bias – the tendency to blame negative outcomes on personal morality rather than external, societal, or economic factors.


Self-Serving Bias – when success is yours, but failure is someone else’s fault

Summary: Got promoted? That’s your talent! Didn’t get promoted? Must be your boss’s bias. That’s Self-Serving Bias – the tendency to credit yourself for successes but blame external factors for failures.


Ultimate Attribution Error – when you judge an entire group based on a few individuals

Summary: If one person from a group does something bad, does that mean they’re all like that? That’s Ultimate Attribution Error – the tendency to attribute an individual’s actions to their entire group, especially for negative behavior.


Availability Cascade – when repeating something enough makes it feel true

Summary: The more you hear an idea, the more true it seems? That’s Availability Cascade – a process where information starts feeling like fact simply because it’s repeated often enough.


Bandwagon Effect – when you believe or do something just because everyone else does

Summary: Did everyone suddenly start wearing weird sneakers – and now you want them too? That’s Bandwagon Effect – the tendency to follow the majority, even without good reasons.


Courtesy Bias – when you hide your real opinion to avoid offending others

Summary: Told your friend their new haircut looks great, even though you hate it? That’s Courtesy Bias – the tendency to soften your opinion to avoid hurting others’ feelings.


Groupthink – when harmony matters more than the right decision

Summary: Did everyone in your team agree on a bad idea without questioning it? That’s Groupthink – the tendency to sacrifice critical thinking for group unity and harmony.


Groupshift – when groups make riskier or safer choices than individuals

Summary: Did your team start off cautious but end up playing it ultra-safe? Or did they go from slightly risky to full-on reckless? That’s Groupshift – the tendency for group decisions to become more extreme than individual opinions.


Truth Bias – when you believe people, even when they might be lying

Summary: Do you naturally trust what people say? That’s Truth Bias – the tendency to assume information is honest, even without evidence.


Ingroup Bias – when what’s ‘ours’ is always better than what’s ‘theirs’

Summary: Do you think your team’s way is the best and anything external isn’t worth considering? That’s Ingroup Bias, also known as ‘Not Invented Here’ – the tendency to reject ideas, research, and products simply because they come from outside your group.


Outgroup Homogeneity Bias – when ‘they’re all the same,’ but ‘we’re all unique’

Summary: Do you feel like your group is diverse, but other groups are all the same? That’s Outgroup Homogeneity Bias – the tendency to see members of your own group as individuals, while viewing outsiders as uniform.


Assumed Similarity Bias – when you think others are more like you than they really are

Summary: Do you assume most people think like you? That’s Assumed Similarity Bias – the tendency to believe others share your perspectives, preferences, and values more than they actually do.


Outgroup Favoritism – when other groups seem better than your own

Summary: Do you feel like other groups always have it better – their culture, their people, their values? That’s Outgroup Favoritism – the tendency for socially disadvantaged groups to favor and even prefer other communities over their own.


Pygmalion Effect – when others’ expectations shape your success (or failure)

Summary: Do you perform better when people believe in you? That’s Pygmalion Effect – a psychological phenomenon where others’ expectations (positive or negative) influence your actual performance and behavior.


Reactance – when being told ‘no’ makes you want to do it even more

Summary: Does being told ‘no’ make you want to do it even more? That’s Reactance – a psychological response where attempts to limit your freedom trigger resistance and a desire to do the opposite.


Reactive Devaluation – when an idea seems bad just because of who suggested it

Summary: Do you reject a good idea just because it came from your opponent? That’s Reactive Devaluation – the tendency to dismiss proposals just because they come from an ‘undesirable’ source, even if they’re beneficial.


Social Comparison Bias – when you favor people who aren’t a threat to your own strengths

Summary: Do you hire people who won’t challenge you rather than those who are truly the best? That’s Social Comparison Bias – the tendency to favor candidates who don’t threaten your skills or status.


Shared Information Bias – when groups focus on what they all know, ignoring new insights

Summary: Does your team spend hours discussing obvious facts while ignoring a crucial detail known only to a few? That’s Shared Information Bias – the tendency for groups to focus on what everyone already knows instead of sharing unique insights.


Worse-Than-Average Effect – when you assume you're worse than others at difficult tasks

Summary: Do you assume everyone else is better than you at difficult tasks? That’s Worse-Than-Average Effect – the tendency to underestimate your own competence in challenging activities, even when you have the skills.


Cryptomnesia – when you think you came up with something new, but it’s actually an old memory

Summary: Did you come up with a brilliant idea, only to realize you’d heard it before? That’s Cryptomnesia – when a forgotten memory resurfaces as an original thought because you don’t recognize it as a memory.


False Memory – when you ‘remember’ something that never happened

Summary: Are you sure you’ve been to a place as a child, but your parents insist you never were? That’s False Memory – when imagination, stories from others, or time create memories of events that never actually happened.


Social Cryptomnesia – when you remember change but forget who fought for it

Summary: Do you enjoy rights and freedoms but can’t recall who fought for them? That’s Social Cryptomnesia – when society recognizes that change has happened but forgets how it occurred and who made it possible.


Source Confusion – when you remember information but forget where it came from

Summary: Do you remember a fact but can’t recall whether you read it in a research paper or a social media comment? That’s Source Confusion – the tendency to misremember where information came from, distorting our memories.


Suggestibility – when you ‘remember’ things just because someone suggested them

Summary: Did someone ask, ‘Do you remember getting lost in a store as a child?’ and now you’re convinced it happened? That’s Suggestibility – the tendency to mistake others’ suggestions for real memories.


The Perky Effect – when reality blends with imagination

Summary: Did you vividly imagine skydiving and later wonder if it actually happened? That’s The Perky Effect – when real images or experiences influence imagined ones, making it hard to distinguish fantasy from reality.


Availability Bias – when recent or vivid examples seem more important

Summary: Did you hear about a plane crash and now fear flying, even though car accidents are far more common? That’s Availability Bias – the tendency to give greater importance to examples that are easy to recall, rather than those that are statistically relevant.


Bizarreness Effect – when weird things stick in memory better than ordinary ones

Summary: Do you remember a person in a banana costume better than one in a regular suit? That’s Bizarreness Effect – the tendency to recall unusual information more easily than common information.


Boundary Extension – when your memory ‘zooms out’ beyond what you actually saw

Summary: Do you look at a photo and later recall seeing more details than were actually there? That’s Boundary Extension – the tendency to remember the background of an image as more expansive than it really was.


Childhood Amnesia – why we forget our earliest years

Summary: Can you remember your third birthday? Probably not. That’s Childhood Amnesia – the natural inability to retain memories from the first few years of life.


Confirmation Bias – when you only notice what supports your beliefs

Summary: Do you read news that only confirms what you already believe? That’s Confirmation Bias – the tendency to seek, remember, and interpret information in ways that align with existing beliefs.


Conservatism Bias – when your memory downplays extremes

Summary: Do you remember heavy rain, but in reality, it was a full-blown storm? That’s Conservatism Bias – the tendency to recall high values (like probability or frequency) as lower than they were and low values as higher.


Consistency Bias – when you believe you’ve always thought the way you do now

Summary: Are you convinced you’ve always supported healthy living, but ten years ago you ate fast food daily? That’s Consistency Bias – the tendency to remember past beliefs and behaviors as being consistent with your current ones.


Continued Influence Effect – when misinformation sticks, even after being debunked

Summary: Did you hear a false story, then see it debunked, but still feel like it might be true? That’s Continued Influence Effect – the tendency to retain and use misinformation in reasoning, even after it’s been corrected.


Context Effect – when memories depend on where and how you recall them

Summary: Did you forget what you wanted to say but instantly remember once you walk back into the same room? That’s Context Effect – the tendency for memory to work better in the same environment where the information was learned.


Cross-Race Effect – when faces of other races seem harder to tell apart

Summary: Do faces of people from other races seem more similar to you, while faces within your own group are easier to distinguish? That’s Cross-Race Effect – the tendency to have difficulty recognizing and differentiating faces of other racial or ethnic groups.


Egocentric Bias – when your past seems better than it really was

Summary: Do you remember getting straight A’s, but your report card says otherwise? That’s Egocentric Bias – the tendency to exaggerate past achievements and downplay failures.


Euphoric Recall – when the past feels better than it really was

Summary: Do you remember college as the best time of your life but forget the sleepless nights before exams? That’s Euphoric Recall – the tendency to remember the past through rose-colored glasses while ignoring the negatives.


Fading Affect Bias – when bad memories fade faster than good ones

Summary: Do you remember your vacation five years ago as perfect, even though it rained and your luggage got lost? That’s Fading Affect Bias – the tendency for negative emotions to fade faster than positive ones.


Generation Effect – when you remember things better if you created them yourself

Summary: Do you remember jokes you made up better than ones you heard? That’s Generation Effect – information you generate yourself is remembered better than information you just hear or read.


Gender Differences in Eyewitness Memory – when you recall details better about people of your own gender

Summary: Do you recall faces and clothing details better when they belong to someone of your own gender? That’s Gender Differences in Eyewitness Memory – the tendency for witnesses to remember more details about individuals of the same gender.


Google Effect – when you forget what you can easily look up online

Summary: Can you remember your door code but not your friend’s phone number? That’s Google Effect – the tendency to forget information when you know it can be easily found online.


Hindsight Bias – when the past feels obvious in hindsight

Summary: Do you say ‘I knew it all along!’ even though you were uncertain before? That’s Hindsight Bias – the tendency to see past events as predictable, even when they weren’t at the time.


Humor Effect – when funny things stick in your memory

Summary: Do you remember the professor’s joke but not the lesson itself? That’s Humor Effect – the tendency to remember funny things better than neutral or boring ones.


Illusory Truth Effect – the more you hear it, the truer it seems

Summary: Do you believe we use only 10% of our brains, even though it’s a myth? That’s Illusory Truth Effect – the tendency to believe information simply because it sounds familiar, even if it’s false.


Lag Effect – learning sticks better when spaced out over time

Summary: Think cramming all night will help you remember? And then you forget everything the next day? That’s Lag Effect – information sticks better when learning is spread out over time instead of in one go.


Leveling and Sharpening – when some details fade and others get exaggerated

Summary: Do you tell a story, and each time it gets more vivid, but some details vanish? That’s Leveling and Sharpening – over time, some details fade while others become exaggerated and overemphasized.


Levels-of-Processing Effect – how you learn determines how well you remember

Summary: Did you read a textbook but remember nothing, while the topic you explained to a friend stuck? That’s Levels-of-Processing Effect – the deeper you process information, the better you remember it.


List-Length Effect – the longer the list, the less you recall… but the more you retain

Summary: Do you remember a higher percentage of items from a short list than from a long one, but still retain more overall from the longer list? That’s List-Length Effect – as lists grow longer, relative recall decreases, but the total number of remembered items increases.


Memory Inhibition – when remembering some things makes you forget others

Summary: Did you recall part of a list, but the rest vanished from memory? That’s Memory Inhibition – when recalling certain items makes it harder to retrieve others.


Misinformation Effect – when false details alter your memories

Summary: Do you swear you saw something at an event, even though it wasn’t there? That’s Misinformation Effect – when memory becomes less accurate due to false details added later.


Modality Effect – you remember the last items better when you hear them

Summary: Do you remember the last words of a speaker better than the last lines of a book? That’s Modality Effect – spoken information is remembered differently than written, especially at the end of a list.


Mood-Congruent Memory Bias – you remember what matches your mood

Summary: When you’re sad, do you recall all your failures? And when you're happy, only the best moments? That’s Mood-Congruent Memory Bias – we better remember and retrieve information that matches our current emotional state.


Negativity Bias – when bad memories stick stronger than good ones

Summary: Can you recall one hurtful comment from years ago but forget all the compliments you’ve received? That’s Negativity Bias – the brain reacts more strongly to negative experiences and stores them longer in memory.


Next-in-Line Effect – when you don’t remember what was said right before your turn

Summary: Do you rehearse your speech in your head instead of listening to the person speaking before you? That’s Next-in-Line Effect – the tendency to forget what was just said because you’re too focused on preparing your own response.


Part-List Cueing Effect – when recalling one item makes others harder to remember

Summary: Struggling to recall a to-do list, but the more you remember, the harder it gets to retrieve the rest? That’s Part-List Cueing Effect – recalling some items makes it harder to retrieve others from the same list.


Peak–End Rule – you judge experiences by their most intense moment and the ending

Summary: Do you remember a trip as amazing, even though most of it was boring, just because it had a magical ending? That’s Peak–End Rule – we judge experiences not by their total duration, but by their most intense moment (good or bad) and how they ended.


Persistence – when traumatic memories keep coming back

Summary: Trying to forget a painful event, but it keeps coming back? That’s Persistence – when the brain forces us to relive traumatic memories even when we want to move on.


Picture Superiority Effect – images stick in memory better than words

Summary: Can you remember a person’s face faster than their name? Or a company’s logo but not its slogan? That’s Picture Superiority Effect – the brain remembers visual information more effectively than text.


Placement Bias – you either overrate or underrate yourself

Summary: Do you see yourself as better than others at things you’re good at, and worse than others at things you struggle with? That’s Placement Bias – people remember themselves as more successful in what they feel confident about, and weaker in what they find difficult.


Positivity Effect – as we age, we remember more good than bad

Summary: Ever noticed that older people recall happy moments more than tough times? That’s Positivity Effect – as we age, our memory favors positive experiences and pushes negative ones aside.


Primacy Effect – you remember the first items best

Summary: Do you recall the first items on a list but struggle with the middle? That’s Primacy Effect – information presented first is remembered better than what comes later.


Recency Effect – the last things stick in memory best

Summary: Do you remember the last words of a conversation but forget the middle? That’s Recency Effect – the most recent items or events are remembered better than those before them.


Reminiscence Bump – your youth stands out in memory

Summary: Why do you vividly recall your first parties, first job, or first love but not recent events? That’s Reminiscence Bump – we remember adolescence and early adulthood more clearly than any other period of life.


Rosy Retrospection – the past seems better than it really was

Summary: Do you remember school as fun and carefree, even though you used to complain about homework? Or think that ‘the good old days’ were better, ignoring their struggles? That’s Rosy Retrospection – the tendency to recall the past as happier and easier than it really was.


Saying Is Believing Effect – when you start believing what you say

Summary: Have you ever adjusted a story to fit your audience, only to later believe that version yourself? That’s Saying Is Believing Effect – when we tailor a message for others, it becomes part of our own beliefs.


Self-Relevance Effect – you remember things better when they relate to you

Summary: Do you easily recall stories you were part of but forget those about others? That’s Self-Relevance Effect – information connected to you is remembered better than similar details about others.


Serial Position Effect – you remember the first and last, but forget the middle

Summary: Do you clearly remember how a lecture started and ended, but the middle feels blurry? That’s Serial Position Effect – the first and last items in a sequence are remembered best, while the middle tends to be forgotten.


Spotlight Effect – you think everyone is watching, but they’re not

Summary: Forgot to button your shirt and feel like everyone noticed? Said something awkward and now think it’s all anyone remembers? That’s Spotlight Effect – the tendency to overestimate how much others notice your appearance or behavior.


Stereotype Bias – memory distorts facts to fit expectations

Summary: Are you sure you saw a female secretary and a male boss, even though it was the other way around? That’s Stereotype Bias – memory reshapes facts to fit expected patterns, even when they don’t match reality.


Suffix Effect – the last thing is harder to recall if something follows it

Summary: Can you easily recall the last word in a list, but if something follows it, it disappears? That’s Suffix Effect – the final items in a sequence become harder to remember if extra information follows them.


Subadditivity Effect – the whole seems less likely than the sum of its parts

Summary: If told there’s a 10% chance of flooding in your city, you’d accept it. But if broken down into ‘flooding from rain,’ ‘flooding from dam failure,’ and ‘flooding from melting snow,’ each at 5%, the total feels higher! That’s Subadditivity Effect – people perceive the probability of a whole event as lower than the sum of its mutually exclusive components.


Tachypsychia – when time slows down or speeds up in extreme situations

Summary: Have you ever felt like time slowed down in a moment of danger? Or that it flew by when you were deeply focused? That’s Tachypsychia – a shift in time perception under stress, fear, or intense concentration.


Telescoping Effect – recent events feel distant, and distant ones feel recent

Summary: Are you convinced that a movie from two years ago just came out yesterday? Or that a recent event happened much longer ago? That’s Telescoping Effect – the tendency to shift events in time, making recent ones feel distant and distant ones feel recent.


Testing Effect – self-testing beats passive repetition

Summary: Do you reread textbooks repeatedly but still forget the material? Try testing yourself! That’s Testing Effect – memory improves when you actively recall information instead of just passively reviewing it.


Tip of the Tongue Phenomenon – when you know a word but just can’t recall it

Summary: You KNOW the word, it’s right there… but you just can’t say it? That’s Tip of the Tongue Phenomenon – when you partially recall something but can’t fully retrieve it.


Travis Syndrome – when the present seems more significant than any other time

Summary: Do you feel like we’re living through the most important time in history? That’s Travis Syndrome – the tendency to overestimate the significance of the present while underestimating the past.


Verbatim Effect – you remember the gist, not the exact words

Summary: Do you remember what a conversation was about, but not the exact words? That’s Verbatim Effect – our brain stores the general meaning of messages rather than their precise wording.


Von Restorff Effect – the odd one out is easiest to remember

Summary: Can you forget a long list but remember the one strange word in it? That’s Von Restorff Effect – our brain remembers what stands out the most.


Zeigarnik Effect – unfinished tasks stay on your mind

Summary: Do unfinished tasks keep running through your mind? That’s Zeigarnik Effect – the brain remembers incomplete or interrupted tasks better than completed ones.