A Field Guide to Cognitive Biases

Q: Can you get rid of cognitive biases?

No — they're built into fast thinking. But you can recognize their patterns and use structured habits (base rates, pre-mortems, steelmanning) to reduce their effect on important decisions.

Q: What's the difference between a bias and a logical fallacy?

A bias is a tendency in how we perceive and judge; a fallacy is a flaw in an argument's structure. Biases often lead us to commit fallacies, but they're not the same thing.

A field guide to cognitive biases

Last reviewed: July 2026

The short answer

A cognitive bias is a systematic shortcut in thinking — useful for speed, but a predictable source of error. You can't delete them, but you can learn their shapes and build defenses. Explore fourteen of the most consequential below; tap any card for its defense.

How to think a little more clearly

You can't out-willpower a bias, but a few habits reliably reduce their grip:

Steelman before you decide

State the strongest version of the opposing view in your own words. If you can't, you don't understand the question yet.

counters confirmation bias

ii.

Ask for base rates

Trade the vivid story for the actual numbers: how often does this really happen?

counters availability & anchoring

iii.

Run a pre-mortem

Assume the decision failed, then explain why. It surfaces risks optimism hides.

counters optimism bias & overconfidence

iv.

Sleep on reversible-feeling urgency

Manufactured urgency is the enemy of clear thinking. Real opportunities rarely require instant decisions.

counters loss aversion & framing

Test yourself: which bias is this?

Read the scenario, name the bias. Six quick rounds.

Can you spot the bias?

Eight scenarios. No score is stored, nothing is sent anywhere, and there is no "you are 94% rational" badge at the end — because that would be its own little lie.

Frequently asked

Can you get rid of cognitive biases?

No — they're built into fast thinking. But you can recognize their patterns and use structured habits (base rates, pre-mortems, steelmanning) to reduce their effect on important decisions.

Are biases always bad?

No. They're shortcuts that usually serve us well under time pressure. They become costly mainly on complex, high-stakes, or unfamiliar decisions, where slow, deliberate thinking is worth the effort.

What's the difference between a bias and a logical fallacy?

A bias is a tendency in how we perceive and judge; a fallacy is a flaw in an argument's structure. Biases often lead us to commit fallacies, but they're not the same thing.