• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Farnam Street Logo

Farnam Street

  • Articles
  • Newsletter
  • Podcast
  • Books
  • Courses
  • Log In
  • Become a Member

Confirmation bias

A Wandering Mind: How Travel Can Change the Way You Think

Most people travel as an observer, and as a result, “see” a lot. When you travel as an active participant, the experience can transform the way you think, and how you see the world. *** Here’s a …

Continue readingA Wandering Mind: How Travel Can Change the Way You Think

The Narratives of History: Applying Lessons from the Past

“History is written by the winners” is the popular view. But your winner may not be my winner. A lot depends on the narrative you are trying to build. History is rewritten all the time. Sometimes it …

Continue readingThe Narratives of History: Applying Lessons from the Past

Confirmation Bias And the Power of Disconfirming Evidence

Confirmation bias is our tendency to cherry-pick information that confirms our existing beliefs or ideas. Confirmation bias explains why two people with opposing views on a topic can see the same …

Continue readingConfirmation Bias And the Power of Disconfirming Evidence

Nassim Taleb: How to Not be a Sucker From the Past

The fact that new information exists about the past in general means that we have an incomplete roadmap about history. There is a necessary fallibility … if you will. In The Black Swan, Nassim …

Continue readingNassim Taleb: How to Not be a Sucker From the Past

Falsification: How to Destroy Incorrect Ideas

Sir Karl Popper wrote that the nature of scientific thought is that we could never be sure of anything. The only way to test the validity of any theory was to prove it wrong, a process he labeled …

Continue readingFalsification: How to Destroy Incorrect Ideas

The Four Villains of Decision Making

You’re probably not as effective at making decisions as you could be. This article explores Chip and Dan Heaths’ new book, Decisive. It’s going to help us make better decisions both …

Continue readingThe Four Villains of Decision Making

How You Can Instantly Improve Your Relationship

Most of us see what we want to see. If we’re arguing with a spouse, we’re going to start seeing all of their faults. After all, it’s not my fault it’s your fault. Once …

Continue readingHow You Can Instantly Improve Your Relationship

Edward Tufte on Cognitive Load and Picasso

“The world is much more interesting than any one discipline.” — Edward Tufte *** NPR’s Science Friday talks with data scientist Edward Tufte on everything from Steve Jobs’ considerations of …

Continue readingEdward Tufte on Cognitive Load and Picasso

The Half-life of Facts

Facts change all the time. Smoking has gone from doctor recommended to deadly. We used to think the Earth was the center of the universe and that Pluto was a planet. For decades we were convinced that …

Continue readingThe Half-life of Facts

Learning Effectively From Experience: Distinguishing High from Low Performers

High performers learn from both success and failure making small adjustments. Conversely, low performers learned more from success. Learning effectively from experience is a daunting task for any …

Continue readingLearning Effectively From Experience: Distinguishing High from Low Performers

Future Babble: Why expert predictions fail and why we believe them anyway

Future Babble has come out to mixed reviews. I think the book would interest anyone seeking wisdom. Here are some of my notes: First a little background: Predictions fail because the world is too …

Continue readingFuture Babble: Why expert predictions fail and why we believe them anyway

A Simple Checklist to Improve Decisions

We owe thanks to the publishing industry. Their ability to take a concept and fill an entire category with a shotgun approach is the reason that more people are talking about biases. Unfortunately, …

Continue readingA Simple Checklist to Improve Decisions

James March: The Ambiguities of Experience

How do our experiences help us learn? We’re often told that experience is the best way to learn. We might see this play out when someone gives us advice which we ignore, until experience teaches us …

Continue readingJames March: The Ambiguities of Experience

Why You Are Not As Ethical As You Think

Ethical infractions are rooted in the intricacies of human psychology rather than integrity. We are wired far more strongly for unethical behavior than for integrity. Max Bazerman and Ann Tebrusnel’s …

Continue readingWhy You Are Not As Ethical As You Think

Lessons of the Past

The tendency to relate contemporary events to earlier events as a guide to understanding is a powerful one. The difficulty, of course, is in being certain that two situations are truly comparable. …

Continue readingLessons of the Past

Information Without Context

Information without context is falsely empowering and incredibly dangerous. As an adult, have you ever picked up a child’s shape-sorter and tried to put the square item through the round hole? …

Continue readingInformation Without Context

Discover What You’re Missing

Get the weekly email full of actionable ideas and insights you can use at work and home.

No Spam. No Politics. No Fluff. No Noise.


As seen on:

Forbes logo
New York Times logo
Wall Street Journal logo
The Economist logo
Financial Times logo
Farnam Street Logo

© 2022 Farnam Street Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Proudly powered by WordPress. Hosted by Pressable. See our Privacy Policy.

  • Speaking
  • Sponsorship
  • About
  • Support
  • Education

We’re Syrus Partners.
We buy amazing businesses.


Farnam Street participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising commissions by linking to Amazon.