Psychology
Biases, motivation, behavior, habits, and influence
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Confirmation Bias
People seek evidence that supports an existing belief and discount conflict.
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Anchoring
The first salient number can influence later judgments.
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Loss Aversion
Losses often feel stronger than equivalent gains.
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Habit Loops
Repeated behavior is cued, performed, and rewarded.
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Social Proof Has Limits
Other people provide information, but popularity is not proof of fit.
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Present Bias
Immediate rewards tend to outweigh larger delayed benefits.
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The Attribution Error
We explain other people's behaviour by their character and our own by our circumstances.
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Sunk Cost Is Already Gone
Money and time already spent cannot be recovered by any future choice, so they should not influence it.
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Availability Bias
We judge how likely something is by how easily an example comes to mind, not by how often it occurs.
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Identity Drives Behaviour
People act consistently with who they believe they are, which is more durable than what they intend to do.
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Stress Narrows Attention
Under pressure, attention contracts onto the immediate threat and peripheral information stops registering.
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Reciprocity Creates Obligation
Receiving something creates a felt debt, even when it was unrequested and worth little.