Definition

A brain quirk is any feature of natural brain functioning that is sometimes helpful but sometimes harmful.

For example, jumping to a conclusion is sometimes useful because it saves us time and leads to a good decision. However, in other contexts, jumping to a conclusion can be harmful because the decision is lousy or wrong.

CT has developed in human cultures to reduce the undesirable aspects of brain quirks.

Examples of Brain Quirks

1. Rejecting evidence that does not fit one’s prior beliefs: This is a classic example of confirmation bias, where people tend to favor information that confirms their preexisting beliefs. It’s a well-known cognitive quirk.

2. Judging someone based on their gender, race, appearance, class, or similar: This relates to various forms of prejudice and bias, such as stereotyping and discrimination. It’s a well-established quirk tied to social psychology.

3. Believing something with 100% certainty (certitude): This relates to the concept of overconfidence and the tendency to be overly certain about one’s beliefs or judgments. It can lead to errors in decision-making.

4. Having an inaccurate view of reality: This is a broad concept that encompasses various cognitive biases and distortions, including selective perception and memory.

5. Not remembering an event accurately: This refers to the limitations of human memory, which can be subject to distortion and errors. It’s a well-documented aspect of cognitive psychology.

6. Jumping to conclusions: This is a form of cognitive distortion that often leads to premature judgments or decisions without sufficient evidence. It’s closely related to the availability heuristic and other decision-making biases.

7. Believing something is true because people like you hold this belief: This is a manifestation of social influence and conformity, where people adopt beliefs or behaviors based on the preferences of their social group.

8. Generalizing based on too small of a sample size: This relates to the concept of the representativeness heuristic, where people make judgments or predictions based on limited information and may not consider the broader context.

Named Quirks

Brain quirks have been well studied. Here are some of the common ones.

1. Confirmation Bias: People tend to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and ignore contradictory evidence, which can lead to faulty decision-making.

2. Availability Heuristic: Individuals rely on readily available information or recent examples when making judgments, often neglecting more accurate but less accessible data.

3. Anchoring Bias: This bias occurs when people fixate on initial information (the “anchor”) and fail to adjust their thinking sufficiently, affecting decision-making.

4. Hindsight Bias: After an event occurs, people tend to believe they would have predicted it or that it was inevitable, which can distort the understanding of past decisions.

5. Overconfidence Bias: Individuals often overestimate their own knowledge, abilities, or the accuracy of their beliefs, leading to overconfident decision-making.

6. Sunk Cost Fallacy: People continue to invest in a decision or project because they’ve already invested time, money, or effort, even if it’s no longer rational to do so.

7. Self-Serving Bias: People attribute successes to their own abilities and efforts while attributing failures to external factors, protecting their self-esteem.

8. Cognitive Dissonance: People experience discomfort when their beliefs or actions conflict, leading them to rationalize or change their beliefs to reduce this discomfort.

9. Dunning-Kruger Effect: Individuals with low competence in a domain often overestimate their ability, while highly skilled individuals may underestimate their competence.

10. Status quo bias: People tend to prefer things to remain the same and resist change, even when change may be beneficial.

11. Recency Bias: Recent information or events are given more weight when making decisions, potentially overlooking long-term trends or patterns.

12. Groupthink: In group settings, the desire for consensus or conformity can lead to irrational or dysfunctional decision-making, suppressing dissenting opinions.

13. Neglect of Probability: People often misjudge or neglect the statistical probability of events, leading to errors in risk assessment.

14. Fundamental Attribution Error: People tend to attribute the behavior of others to their internal traits and underestimate the impact of external factors.

15. Bystander Effect: In a group, individuals are less likely to offer help or intervene in an emergency situation because they assume others will do so.

16. Loss Aversion: People tend to weigh potential losses more heavily than equivalent gains, which can influence decision-making in various contexts.

17. Egocentric Bias: Individuals believe they are more central to events than they actually are, leading to an overestimation of their role in situations.

18. Endowment Effect: People tend to overvalue items simply because they own them, making it difficult to make rational decisions about selling or trading possessions.

19. Anxiety Bias: Excessive worry and anxiety can distort perception, leading to irrational fears and decisions based on fear rather than logic.

20. The Planning Fallacy: People often underestimate the time, costs, and risks involved in future actions and overestimate the benefits, leading to overly optimistic plans and predictions.

Effective Management of Brain Quirks

Accept that they happen. They are natural. Do not judge them as good or bad; they are.

Root them out in your own thinking by applying critical thinking.

When you encounter them in others, use critical thinking to help mitigate harm.

Resources

To find great sources of information about cognitive biases and quirks, consider exploring the following:

1. Books: Many books by renowned authors delve into cognitive biases and quirks. Some recommended titles include:

   • “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman
   • “Predictably Irrational” by Dan Ariely
   • “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert Cialdini
   • “The Art of Thinking Clearly” by Rolf Dobelli
   • “Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics” by Richard Thaler

2. Academic Journals: Research articles in psychology and behavioral economics can provide in-depth insights into specific quirks. Journals like “Psychological Science,” “Behavioral Economics,” and “Journal of Behavioral Decision Making” are excellent resources.

3. Online Courses: Platforms like Coursera, edX, and Udemy offer courses on cognitive biases and decision-making taught by experts in the field.

4. TED Talks: TED has numerous talks on cognitive biases and quirks. Some speakers to look out for include Daniel Kahneman, Dan Ariely, and Rory Sutherland.

5. Websites and Blogs: Websites like Psychology Today, BehavioralEconomics.com, and Farnam Street offer articles and blog posts on various quirks and biases.

6. Podcasts: Podcasts like “Hidden Brain,” “You Are Not So Smart,” and “The Psychology Podcast” frequently explore cognitive biases and related topics.

7. Psychology and Behavioral Economics Books: In addition to popular books, academic textbooks in psychology and behavioral economics provide comprehensive coverage of cognitive biases and related topics.

8. TED-Ed Lessons: TED-Ed offers educational lessons on cognitive biases and quirks, often accompanied by animations and quizzes to enhance understanding.

9. Psychology and Behavioral Economics Research Institutes: Explore websites of research institutions like the Kahneman-Tversky Center for Behavioral Economics and Decision Making or the Max Planck Institute for Human Development for cutting-edge research and resources.

10. Online Forums and Communities: Websites like Reddit’s r/BehavioralEconomics and r/AskPsychology can be valuable for discussing and sharing information about quirks and biases.

11. Psychology and Behavioral Economics Conferences: Attending or reviewing materials from conferences like the Society for Judgment and Decision Making (SJDM) can provide access to the latest research in the field.

12. Psychology and Behavioral Economics Professors: Many professors and researchers in the field maintain personal websites or blogs where they share their research findings and insights.

13. News Outlets: Reputable news outlets often cover findings related to cognitive biases and quirks. Check out sources like The New York Times, The Atlantic, and BBC Future.