We make judgements based on our current emotions rather than objective analysis.

The first number or piece of information we hear disproportionately shapes everything that follows.

The assumption that something is good because it's natural, or bad because it's artificial.

We give disproportionate weight to the opinions of people we perceive as authorities - even outside their expertise.

We judge how likely something is based on how easily an example comes to mind.

Correcting someone's false belief can actually make them believe it more strongly.

We're more likely to believe or do something if lots of other people already do.

We grow to like people we've done favours for, not just people who've done favours for us.

Harm that comes with a violation of trust hurts far more than the same harm without it.

The uncomfortable tension we feel when holding two contradictory beliefs at the same time.

We seek out information that supports what we already believe, and ignore what doesn't.

The less you know about something, the more confident you're likely to feel about it.

When someone behaves differently from what we expected, our emotional reaction is amplified - for better or worse.

When someone presents only two options, even though more exist.

Treating two things as equally valid or important when they clearly aren't.

Flooding the information space with so many lies, half-truths, and contradictions that people give up trying to figure out what's true.

The way information is presented changes how we respond to it - even when the underlying facts are identical.

Overwhelming someone with a flood of arguments, regardless of their accuracy, so they can't possibly respond to them all.

The more often we hear something, the more likely we are to believe it - regardless of whether it's true.

We automatically trust people who seem like us and distrust people who don't.

Forming your own judgement before hearing what everyone else thinks.

The belief that people generally get what they deserve - that the world is fundamentally fair.

When repeated failure or lack of control teaches us to stop trying - even when things change.

We punish the contradiction between someone's stated values and their behaviour more harshly than we punish the behaviour alone.

Using our intelligence not to find truth but to defend conclusions we've already reached.

Holding a controversial position but retreating to a much more defensible one when challenged - then switching back once the pressure's off.

Bad experiences affect us more powerfully than equally good ones.

The assumption that because things have always been a certain way, they will continue to be.

The simplest explanation that fits the facts is usually the right one.

The range of ideas the public considers acceptable at any given time - and how that range can be deliberately shifted.

When most people in a group privately disagree with a norm but go along with it because they assume everyone else agrees.

Attributing your own feelings, motives, or behaviours to someone else.

Endlessly demanding evidence or explanations in bad faith, disguised as polite curiosity.

Asking 'and then what?' - looking beyond the immediate consequences to what happens next.

Misrepresenting someone's argument to make it easier to attack.

We only see the winners, so we misjudge what it takes to succeed.

Deflecting criticism by pointing to someone else's wrongdoing instead of addressing the original point.