Why We Think Everyone Agrees With Us
For anyone who's ever been shocked by an election result, baffled by a comment section, or said 'how can anyone think that?'
We all live inside a model of the world that feels like the world itself. We see our own opinions as reasonable, our own tastes as normal, our own values as common sense. And from there, it’s a very short step to assuming that most other people see things the same way.
This collection traces the chain of biases that creates that illusion - from the deep conviction that we see reality clearly, through the mechanisms that surround us with agreement, to the moments where the illusion breaks and we’re left genuinely stunned that other people exist in such different mental worlds.
It’s not a comfortable journey. But understanding why your bubble feels like the whole world is the first step towards seeing beyond it.
The journey
- 1 Cognitive Bias Naive Realism The belief that you see the world objectively - and that anyone who disagrees must be uninformed, irrational, or biased.
- 2 Cognitive Bias False Consensus Effect We tend to assume that most people think the way we do - and we're usually wrong.
- 3 Cognitive Bias Confirmation Bias We seek out information that supports what we already believe, and ignore what doesn't.
- 4 Cognitive Bias Availability Heuristic We judge how likely something is based on how easily an example comes to mind.
- 5 Cognitive Bias In-group/Out-group Bias We automatically trust people who seem like us and distrust people who don't.
- 6 Psychological Phenomenon Pluralistic Ignorance When most people in a group privately disagree with a norm but go along with it because they assume everyone else agrees.
- 7 Cognitive Bias Bandwagon Effect We're more likely to believe or do something if lots of other people already do.
- 8 Psychological Phenomenon Social Proof Looking to other people's behaviour to decide what's correct.