Ever wondered if your mind is working against you? You're kind of right!
Humans have all kinds of cognitive biases built into our brains. Some of them are leftover from our "lizard brain," days but some are from cultural societal influences. Here are a few:
1. Pareidolia
What is it?
Pareidolia is a type of apophenia, which is the cognitive bias that leads you to detect patterns in completely random sets of data. Pareidolia specifically is the phenomenon of attaching significance to an otherwise random pattern.
Why does this happen?
There are several theories as to why this happens. Carl Saganthought that it was a leftover survival technique used to identify faces in the dark. He thought that if humans were able to make out vaguely shape-like objects quickly with little visual stimuli, it would let them better prepare for an attack or retreat, and this ability would lead to some misconstruction of visual information.
Why should I care?
A 2009 study on the subject “suggests that our visual system has the propensity to rapidly interpret stimuli as faces based on minimal cues. This may be the result of our innate faculty to detect faces, and may rely on the activation of the subcortical route.” Since our ability to recognize and interpret faces factors in greatly with social and communication skills, understanding how we sometimes make mistakes can bring new strides in disorder characterized by difficulties in those skill areas; autism for example. Studying with face-like objects would also allow researchers a better way to study autistic patients who don’t like looking at faces themselves.
2. The Halo Effect
What is it?
It is a cognitive bias where you see one attribute of a person that "outshines" the rest (either positively or negatively) and make a bias from that perception. Edward Thorndike first coined the term after he discovered a “… high correlation between an officer’s judgment of their soldier’s physique, intelligence, leadership and character.”
Why does this happen?
We want to believe holistically in a person. However, on the science part is involved in Harold Kelley's implicit personality theory, where the first traits we recognize in other people then influence the interpretation and perception of latter ones (because of our expectations).
Why should I care?
Because the mad men are out to exploit this bias at every turn! Ever wondered why you see celebrities endorse products even though there is no way they could have an expert opinion on it? It’s because advertising agencies want to make a good "first impression" on you for their product by using some smoking hot babe. You are also more likely to buy an older or similar model of something (like a car) if a new one has just come out with more advanced features.
3. The Reminescence Bump
What is it?
It’s a memory bias where you remember more events from your teens and twenties than any other period in your life.
Why does this happen?
“According to psychologist Dan McAdams of Northwestern University, events from this period loom so large because it’s when people are most preoccupied with forming an identity.” An identity is an internalized story or series of stories that are told over and over again, and that contributes to the vividness of the memories.
Why should I care?
Because you will experience this in 20 or so years. Scientists Judy Gluck and Susan Bluck have proposed that we remember these times because “It is joyous. It allows us to exert control. And we perceive it to be highly influential over the course of our lives.” These are the memories, good and bad that will become a core part of your identity. So make them count.
