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The Cheating Bias

Dishonest behavior by getting influenced to do so when observing others, leading to unethical practices.

The Cheating Bias

In a busy office, Rina was working late on an important project, preparing for a deadline that was looming fast. As she sat at her desk, she noticed a few of her colleagues walking in and out of their manager’s office with copies of the same report she was working on. The office was abuzz with whispers about how the reports were being rushed and how the manager wouldn’t notice if there were a few shortcuts taken.

Rina had always prided herself on her integrity, but as the minutes ticked by, the pressure mounted. She saw another colleague, Vikram, typing away at his computer while glancing at a cheat sheet he’d scribbled down earlier. “Everyone is doing it,” Rina thought, “Just this once, no one will know.” She quickly scanned the cheat sheet on her own screen, copying some of the data to finish the report faster.

Later, when she submitted the report, Rina felt a twinge of guilt but also a sense of relief. Her report was done, and she had managed to meet the deadline. However, she couldn’t ignore the fact that she had compromised her own values, influenced by seeing her colleagues make similar shortcuts.

This experience highlights the Cheating Bias, where unethical behavior is normalized because we see others engaging in it. The tendency to rationalize our actions grows stronger when we’re surrounded by collective misconduct, making us feel that it’s okay to follow the same path. The presence of others’ dishonest actions influences our own decisions, leading to compromises we wouldn’t normally consider.

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Tendency to value limited or scarce resources more highly than those that are abundantly available.

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Tendency to prioritizes or value short-term rewards over long-term benefits.

Sisyphus Effect

Tendency to give up when there is no gratification or visible meaning / output to efforts.

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Overestimating one’s knowledge due to a lack of understanding about the complexity of a subject.

Decoy Option Effect

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Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, favor and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one’s prior beliefs or values.

Spotlight Effect

The tendency to believe that we are being noticed more than we really are.

Anchoring Bias

People rely heavily on the first piece of information (the “anchor”), even if it’s irrelevant.

Current Mood Bias

It is a distortion in cognition and decision making due to the present emotional state.

Prestige Bias

The tendency to favor the opinions of individuals or groups with higher social status or authority even when not in the same field.

Social Desirability Bias

Tendency to respond to or behave in a way that is socially acceptable or desirable, rather than expressing their true opinions or behaviors.

Recency Bias

The tendency to better recall recent information and events while ignoring older information.

Restraint Bias

The tendency to overestimate the level of control we have over our impulsive behaviors.

Survivorship Bias

The tendency to focus on the individuals or things that have “survived” or succeeded, while overlooking data from those that have not.

Response Bias

Tendency to provide inaccurate or false answers during surveys or interviews.

First impression Bias

The tendency to form lasting opinions based on initial experiences.

Omission Bias

Tendency to avoid taking action due to fear or uncertainty, even when not taking action could be more harmful.

Bundling Bias

The tendency of buying things that are sold together, even if we don’t need everything in the bundle. Think of this as the “package deal effect.”

Distinction Bias

In decision making, we tend to overvalue the minor differences between two almost similar options when we examine them together.

Projection Bias

Individuals overestimate the prevalence of their own thoughts, beliefs, preferences, and knowledge in others.

Salience Bias

Our tendency to focus on items or information that are more noteworthy while ignoring those that do not grab our attention.

Diversification Bias

Spreading our resources thinly across numerous options instead of concentrating on a few.

Pessimism Bias

A tendency to believe things will go wrong even when there is no evidence to support it.

Optimism Bias

Tendency to overestimate the likelihood of positive outcomes and underestimate the negative ones.

Bandwagon Effect

It refers to our habit of adopting certain behaviors or beliefs because many other people do the same.

Framing Bias

Equivalent information can be more or less attractive depending on how it is presented, influencing our decisions.

Recall Bias

Individuals do not accurately remember past events or experiences or leave out details while reporting about them.

Group Think Bias

A group of individuals reaches a consensus without critical reasoning or evaluation of the consequences or alternatives, simply doing or agreeing because everyone else is.