Cognitive Biases & Perception - Perception acts as a lens through which we view reality, influencing choices, relationships, and overall reality [3][4] - The halo effect, a cognitive bias, causes initial impressions in one area to influence overall perception of someone [7] - Stereotypes, mental shortcuts based on race, gender, or background, lead to often inaccurate judgments [11][12] - Confirmation bias shapes interpretation of news, media, and experiences, reinforcing existing beliefs [26] Decision Making - Priming, where seeing or hearing something influences response, affects decision-making [15] - The mind uses two systems: System One (fast, intuitive) and System Two (analytical, problem-solving), with reliance on System One due to efficiency [16][17] - Heuristics, cognitive rules of thumb, can lead to systematic judgment errors, such as the availability heuristic and anchoring heuristic [17][18][19] Overcoming Biases - Questioning initial assumptions and giving people a second impression can help overcome biases [12][13] - Actively seeking new perspectives and questioning assumptions can help challenge confirmation bias [27] - Slowing down, questioning impressions and decisions, and seeking the entire picture are crucial for real understanding [29][30][31]