Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement · Sam Webster Harris | Growth Mindset Psychology

Why You Make Bad Decisions: Confirmation Bias and the 7 Sins of Lazy Thinking [Cognitive Biases #4]

December 5, 2025·26 min·1 clip

The Challenger shuttle disaster of 1983 was caused by confirmation bias.

Sam Webster explores seven critical cognitive biases that shape decision-making and perception. Beginning with confirmation bias—our tendency to seek information confirming existing beliefs—the episode illustrates consequences ranging from personal poor decisions to historical catastrophes (Challenger, Iraq War). Webster introduces availability heuristic and neglect of probability, showing how humans catastrophically misunderstand statistics. Using Taleb's black swan/white swan framework, he argues many disasters labeled 'unpredictable' were actually statistically foreseeable. The episode concludes with actionable strategies: awareness of bias, seeking diverse information sources, independent thinking beyond group identity, and recognizing when mental difficulty signals flawed perspective.

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