Misconceptions& Cognitive Biases

You're living in The Matrix and you don't even realize it.

All right, that's being dramatic. But it is true that many of the assumptions you make about life, the universe, and everything in between might not be entirely certifiable and are, as it so happens, based on tall tales, shoddy information, and, in egregious cases, outright falsities. (Whiskey blanket? No such thing.) To help you parse through this information overload, we've gathered the 30 most common misconceptions of all time. So read on, and correct the record once and for all. And for crazy facts that are, well, actually facts, don't miss the Facts So Funny They're Hard to Believe.

A cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that affects the decisions and judgments that people make. Some of these biases are related to memory. The way you remember an event may be biased for a number of reasons and that in turn can lead to biased thinking and decision-making. Other cognitive biases might be related to problems with attention. Since attention is a limited resource, people have to be selective about what they pay attention to in the world around them. Because of this, subtle biases can creep in and influence the way you see and think about the world.