5 Hidden Biases That Hijack Your Thinking
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Have you ever made a quick decision and later thought:
“Why did I even do that?”
Sometimes it’s instinct.
But often, it’s bias, unconscious patterns that push us to act without full clarity.
When new information hits, your brain doesn’t just sit idle.
It moves. Fast.
And that speed? It’s built on shortcuts.
The problem is… not all shortcuts lead you to the right destination.
Here are 5 mental traps that could be driving your fast decisions:
1. Action Bias
We’re wired to prefer doing over waiting.
Even when inaction is the smarter move, we jump.
In fitness, this might look like starting a new routine without giving your body time to recover.
In business, it might be saying “yes” just to feel in control.
Stillness is a strategy.
2. Authority Bias
We tend to believe those in charge, coaches, managers, influencers, even if they’re wrong.
The badge of authority can cloud our own judgment.Respect wisdom, but don’t silence your own.
3. Neglect of Probability
We dismiss low odds… until that 1% hits us like a freight train.
Think: skipping warmups because “injury probably won’t happen.”
Or betting big on a business move that hasn’t been vetted.Risk isn’t about what’s likely. It’s about what’s possible.
4. The Planning Fallacy
We think things will take less time than they do.
You’ve seen this, planning a 20-minute workout that turns into 50.
Or launching a project you thought would be done in a weekend... two months later.
Add margin. Then double it.
5. Optimism Bias
Hope is powerful. But blind optimism? Dangerous.
We assume success, not because we’ve done the work, but because we want it.
Believe in yourself, and build the evidence.
The Takeaway:
Bias doesn’t mean you’re broken.
It means you’re human.
But the more you understand these mental shortcuts, the more power you have to interrupt them.
So next time a decision comes flying at you,
Pause.
Because not everything that feels right… is right.
Slow down.
Think clearly.
Decide better.
Sources:
Action Bias
Bar-Eli, M., Plessner, H., & Raab, M. (2011). Action Bias in Sports: The Case of Soccer Goalkeepers Facing Penalty Kicks. Journal of Economic Psychology, 22(5), 597–601.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2006.12.001
Authority Bias
Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral Study of Obedience. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67(4), 371–378.
https://doi.org/10.1037/h0040525
Neglect of Probability
Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1974). Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases. Science, 185(4157), 1124–1131.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.185.4157.1124
The Planning Fallacy
Buehler, R., Griffin, D., & Ross, M. (1994). Exploring the "Planning Fallacy": Why people underestimate their task completion times. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(3), 366–381.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.67.3.366
Optimism Bias
Sharot, T. (2011). The Optimism Bias. Current Biology, 21(23), R941–R945.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2011.10.030
