Why Do We Believe Information That Confirms What We Already Think? — Here’s How Evolution Shaped Confirmation Bias for Survival

Have you ever caught yourself agreeing with certain information, and then noticing more of that in your life? For example, if you heard that drivers of a specific car brand are bad drivers and you agree with it, you might find yourself noticing more of those behaviors that support this belief.

Like if one cuts you off, you may think to yourself, “See, I knew it, they are bad drivers!” However, you probably have completely ignored all the good and polite drivers of that car brand. Well, you are not alone, and this phenomenon is actually quite common. It is known as confirmation bias.

It is a thinking habit or a cognitive behavior that refers to our mind’s tendency to remember, notice, and even believe information that already fits with what we currently believe in. However, why does this happen? And does it also affect everyone, even the smartest and most educated? Let’s dive deeper into these questions today and explore the wonders of how our mind works.

What Is Confirmation Bias?

So, what really is confirmation bias? In simpler words, psychologists use the term confirmation bias to refer to our habits where we often look for and prefer the information that already supports what we currently believe in. If there’s a certain idea that we thought of as true, then we may also remember and notice more phenomena that fit that information we already have in our heads.

One example is when we already think one person is rude, we may notice every time that they act negatively towards us, but there’s also a chance that we missed remembering the times that they were acting kind. Another one would be if you already believe a certain stereotype, like a group of people being smarter, then you may remember more the individuals from that group who displayed their intelligence, as compared to those individuals who may not have fit the stereotype.

This phenomenon could result in you having a stronger bias in your beliefs over time, as the idea gets reinforced even more, while actually you are not seeing the full picture. But, how exactly does confirmation bias show up in our everyday life, and is there something wrong with this habit?

Read more: SimplyPsychology

How Confirmation Bias Shows Up in Everyday Life

The Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias shows up a lot in our daily lives, especially with how prominent different news and ideas are on social media. If you already like certain celebrities or even political sides, you may notice more information about them as you scroll on Facebook or X. You may also be more likely to click on an article about them, especially if the headlines match your own ideas.

On the other hand, if there are posts or articles that criticize them or information you believe in, you may more easily just scroll past these posts, even if they are factual. It will also show up a lot in your daily life, like what you kept saying to yourself. For example if you keep believing that you are bad at math, your brain could remember more of the moments that agree with this statement, such as having low scores on your math exams, than moments that may show you may actually be good at math.

The same phenomenon also applies to positive beliefs, like if you firmly believe that your friend is such an amazing friend. You could miss all the red flags and end up only focusing on their traits that are beneficial or helpful to you. In all of these cases, you are actually not lying to yourself; it is just that you may have been nitpicking information that already matches the story you have in your mind. But why exactly does our brain do this?

Why Our Brains Prefer Information That Agrees With Us

So, why do our brains have confirmation bias? Scientists think there are a few possible reasons and theories. First, the brain may do this to preserve some energy and be more efficient. We live in a world today where information is being bombarded into our faces every single day, every single minute. Confirmation bias may act as a mental shortcut that allows our mind to not reevaluate every single piece of information we absorb, and actually save more time and energy.

Another reason could be about our emotions. First, people have a tendency to want to feel correct and validated. Discovering that our ideas or beliefs about a certain person or phenomenon may actually be wrong could pose a threat to our emotions and self-perception. So, seeking only the information that already supports our original thoughts could also be a way for us to feel protected and secure in our judgments or decisions, a psychological defense mechanism.

One more reason could be tied to our evolutionary past. Before, being left out or kicked out of the group could mean life or death. So, the ability to maintain trust and shared social beliefs within a group could facilitate cooperation and belonging. Confirmation bias and alignment with the worldview of the group could make an individual more accepted to remain as a part of the tribe, and this could have been crucial for our survival back then. These are some of the theories that could explain the phenomenon of people having confirmation bias, even the smartest and most educated ones.

Read more: Britannica

Possible Evolutionary Reasons Behind Confirmation Bias

What Is Confirmation Bias? | Psychological Explanation & Examples

Our ancestors did not live in the same world that we do today. Instead, their daily lives and environments were a lot more dangerous than the modern world. There are a lot of threats to their survival, such as wild predators, other human groups, pathogens, and climate change, transforming their natural habitats.

If their brains tried to evaluate every single piece of information as it is, and not base it on what they currently know or believe in, it may have been much more risky. The confirmation bias may have acted as a mental shortcut that allowed the earlier humans to process information quickly, saving both time and energy.

For example, if there’s a particular food that one person in their group ate and they got sick, their confirmation biases may have prompted them to avoid eating that food, even if it may not have been the actual reason for the sickness. Because if they did, and it turned out to be the actual reason, then the cost is much greater. Their survival actually depended on their ability to assess those risks.

Additionally, humans are highly social creatures, and hundreds of thousands of years ago, it would have been nearly impossible to survive alone without a group. So, staying within a tribe is literally do or die. Confirmation biases may have helped individuals to belong by believing in what the group already believes in, fostering trust and making cooperation easier.

Author's Final Thoughts

Confirmation bias is a normal part of how the human brains work. It is a habit of the mind to favor, remember, and notice more of the information that agrees with our own set of beliefs, while being prone to ignoring the ones that do not. It could show up in the tiny parts of our lives, like the posts we interact with on social media, but it may also impact us in some of our biggest choices in life.

By learning about what confirmation bias really is and how it affects us all, we could better understand how our minds work, and that may help us be more well-rounded and balanced intellectual people. Especially in a world full of information, this skill may very well be more important than ever.

Read more: Why Do People Tend to Wake Up Earlier as They Age? — Here’s the Science Behind It

References & Further Reading

Nickerson, R. S. (1998). Confirmation bias: A ubiquitous phenomenon in many guises. Review of General Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.2.2.175

Wason, P. C. (1960). On the failure to eliminate hypotheses in a conceptual task. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/17470216008416717

Lord, C. G., Ross, L., & Lepper, M. R. (1979). Biased assimilation and attitude polarization: The effects of prior theories on subsequently considered evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.37.11.2098

Klayman, J. (1995). Varieties of confirmation bias. Psychology of Learning and Motivation. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-7421(08)60315-1

Rabin, M., & Schrag, J. L. (1999). First impressions matter: A model of confirmatory bias. The Quarterly Journal of Economics. https://doi.org/10.1162/003355399555945