People rate a product more highly after seeing a high price tag, even when quality is identical. Cognitive biases are systematic deviations from logical or statistical norms that recur across individuals and situations.

Confirmation bias leads us to favor information that supports existing beliefs. Availability bias makes recent or vivid events seem more probable. Anchoring pulls judgments toward an arbitrary starting number. These patterns arise because the mind relies on shortcuts that usually work well enough under time pressure or limited information.

Biases are not random errors; they are predictable. Researchers catalogue dozens of them and design choice architectures that either exploit or counteract them. Awareness alone rarely eliminates bias, yet structured decision procedures, diverse perspectives, and statistical training can reduce its impact. Cognitive biases remind us that rational ideals and actual human judgment often diverge.

A bias that once aided survival can now distort financial, medical, and social decisions.