What is Confirmation Bias?

Confirmation bias is when you purposely collect information that supports your belief or narrative while disregarding facts or evidence to the contrary. This state of mind is quite prominent in the science and religious fields, especially in the age of social media.

Take “flat earthers,” for example. Despite a wealth of information, including photographic evidence, these individuals continue to push the narrative that the Earth is flat. Any evidence that proves otherwise is often explained away as fake, and they will not accept facts presented that contradict their viewpoint. Then, they’ll promote their own findings and discoveries to prove their beliefs without a strong scientific approach.

Confirmation bias is often rooted in cherry-picking stats to “prove” a point. This is when someone pulls certain statistics from a study because it fits a specific narrative. For instance, some health and fitness industries tout certain compounds as being great for building muscle. But what they don’t tell you is that the study they are using was on rats, not humans. They conveniently left out that part because it doesn’t sound as good on a label or in a commercial.

Biases can come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including informational searches, interpretations of data, and one’s own memory (anecdotal) recalls.

Reasons why confirmation bias is so rampant include:

• Protecting the egos of an individual or a group
• Staying in political power by keeping constituents in the dark
• Making a profit off of a product or service
• Protecting the beliefs of an individual or group
• Rage-baiting for clicks and engagement

Money is a common denominator when it comes to confirmation bias. News broadcasters, podcasters, TikTokers, and more often use cherry-picked information to build an echo chamber that helps certain people feel seen and accepted. While some of these creators are sincere in their biases, some do it for the sake of making a monthly payout from those platforms.