cognitive-biasthinkingpsychology~5 min read
Plain language, shorter sentences, no jargon.
Availability Heuristic
We judge likelihood by how easily examples come to mind
Plane crashes feel more dangerous than car rides because they're more memorable — not more common.
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ReflectionStart here: make a prediction before reading
The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut where we estimate the likelihood of events based on how easily examples come to mind.
Vivid, recent, or emotionally charged events dominate our perception of risk and frequency.
This bias shapes fear of terrorism, vaccine hesitancy, and financial panic after crashes.
Surface → Deeper19s until next level
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