The question
Why is it so hard to see evidence against what we already believe?
The short answer
People tend to search for, interpret and remember information in ways that confirm what they already think. It is one of the best-documented findings in psychology.
What science knows
Established ScienceIn Peter Wason’s 1960 “2-4-6” task, people guessing a number rule mostly tested examples that fit their idea, rarely ones that could rule it out.
In a 1979 study, people on both sides of the capital punishment debate read the same mixed evidence and each came away more convinced of their own view.
The pattern
Established ScienceThe bias works at three stages: what we look for, how we interpret it, and what we remember. Hits are vivid and counted; misses are quietly dropped.
What is still uncertain
Mixed EvidenceTechniques such as deliberately considering the opposite can reduce the bias, but effects in studies are often modest and may not last. Some researchers argue the bias is partly a reasonable strategy when evidence is costly.
Why humans find it interesting
Cultural TraditionFrancis Bacon described the tendency in 1620: the human mind, once it has adopted an opinion, draws everything else to support it.
CUE perspective
CUE PerspectiveAny system of meaning, CUE included, is vulnerable to confirmation bias: a reading that fits feels like proof, and one that misses is forgotten.
CUE’s answer is to label interpretation as interpretation, and to invite you to notice the misses as well as the hits.