Summary
Highlights
The video introduces confirmation bias as a cognitive bias that causes people to only look for and see information that confirms their existing beliefs, often leading to disagreements where people seem to live in different realities.
Confirmation bias is defined as the tendency to seek and interpret information that supports one's own beliefs. An example given is someone believing eating chocolate every day is good for them, and only seeking information that confirms this belief while ignoring disproving evidence.
This bias is a result of the brain seeking efficient ways to interpret information. It's easier for our brains to maintain a current worldview than to constantly change it with new facts, hence a bias towards maintaining what we already know.
Confirmation bias is prevalent everywhere. Two people can look at the same information and interpret it differently to fit their existing beliefs, not just ignoring contradictory information but actively interpreting new information to support their own views.
On an optimistic note, confirmation bias can enhance enjoyment of music by allowing us to predict beats and melodies. The video concludes by stating that as humans, we are irrational and biased, and the best we can do is be aware of these biases to try and avoid them.