"Confirmation Bias" Our brains are actually physically hard-wired to believe that we have made the right decision, regardless of evidence to the contrary. If you stand back and look at the world from the Moon, you can see that this simple bias explains all of religion, politics, fraternities/sororities, why Dodge truck drivers hate Ford truck drivers, $10,000 Monster audio cables, &c...
Interesting and very true. In my adolescence I began reading Buddhist stories and one in particular stands out when it comes to bias. Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!” “Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?” We can't take in any new information if we are already filled with bias. Here's a link that actually going into it in more detail: http://thestonemind.com/2012/02/27/zen-story-a-cup-of-tea/ I actually forgot about this story until now but I'm quite happy I was reminded of it. I started thinking this was just some phase I grew out of but really it was taught to me. Which on one hand means it can be taught to others but also means only if they want to hear it. The answer is never simple.A Cup of Tea
What I find the most interesting aspect of this is how we retroactively justify that our decisions, especially & even our biggest & most impactful, were absolutely the right ones to make at the time. We do this because we can't change them, and it's better to believe we made the right choice than the wrong one, but for instance I have a friend who walked out on a job without another one lined up and who has taken to recently repeating how "right" of a decision this was for him, even as he struggles to now balance his bills and works at a job he doesn't like much at all, and which he doesn't believe even utilizes the more valuable and intricate skills of his trade. (So he fears he is losing expertise while he is at it.)