What if one of the biggest things keeping you from making better decisions is your own mind?
In this episode of Quest for Success Podcast, we're digging into confirmation bias—the tendency to search for, notice, and believe information that supports what you already think while finding convenient reasons to dismiss everything else. And yes, before you start thinking about all the people who desperately need this episode, that may be confirmation bias at work already.
You'll hear about classic and modern psychology research showing why we look for proof that we're right, why confidence can sometimes make the problem worse, and how confirmation bias can affect your mental health, relationships, values, and everyday decisions. We'll also introduce the simple L.I.E.S. method—Look, Ignore, Explain, Strengthen—to help you recognize when your own thinking may be working against you.
The uncomfortable question isn't whether other people have confirmation bias.
It's figuring out where it may be hiding in your life.
Hit play and find out whether you're as open-minded as you think you are.
P. C. Wason — "On the Failure to Eliminate Hypotheses in a Conceptual Task" (1960). The classic research behind Wason's rule-discovery task and our tendency to seek confirming rather than disconfirming evidence. (Sage Journals)
Read the Wason research
Charles G. Lord, Lee Ross & Mark R. Lepper — "Biased Assimilation and Attitude Polarization" (1979). The landmark study discussed in the episode showing how people can evaluate the same mixed evidence differently based on what they already believe. (Frank Baumgartner)
Read the Lord, Ross & Lepper study
Paula Kaanders et al. — "Humans Actively Sample Evidence to Support Prior Beliefs" (2022). Modern research showing that people tend to seek more information from an option they have already chosen—and that greater initial confidence can increase this biased information sampling. (eLife)
Read the 2022 eLife study
Arthur Miller — The Crucible. The play used in the episode to illustrate what can happen when fear, existing beliefs, accusations, and selective evidence begin feeding one another. (Penguin Random House)
Learn more about The Crucible
#PeterWason #CharlesLord #LeeRoss #MarkLepper #ArthurMiller #TheCrucible
Confirmation bias can influence what information you search for, not just how you interpret what you find.
Remember L.I.E.S.: Look, Ignore, Explain, Strengthen.
Confidence doesn't guarantee you're right; sometimes it makes you less willing to examine opposing evidence.
Negative beliefs about yourself can become stronger when you continually collect evidence that supports them.
One powerful question can interrupt confirmation bias: "What evidence would convince me that I'm wrong?"
Seeking disconfirming evidence and allowing trusted people to challenge your thinking can lead to better decisions.
For more episodes, resources, and information from Quest for Success, visit: Quest-Success.com
