Top 10 Cognitive Biases: That Affects Your Everyday Decisions(Mindplay: The Psychology of Everyday Power)

Every day, you make hundreds of choices - from the small, like what to eat for lunch, to the life-changing, like choosing a career or a partner. You may believe you are weighing the facts carefully, acting rationally, and exercising free will. Yet beneath the surface, your brain is constantly taking shortcuts, leaning on mental rules of thumb that evolved to help our ancestors survive. These shortcuts - known as heuristics - are fast and efficient, but they also open the door to systematic mistakes called cognitive biases. In this eye-opening book, Elira Fontayne explores the ten most common cognitive biases that shape your thinking and subtly steer your decisions. These hidden forces influence how you spend money, who you trust, what risks you take, and even how you see yourself. By the time you finish, you'll never look at your own mind in quite the same way again. You'll uncover how confirmation bias keeps you trapped in echo chambers, dismissing evidence that doesn't fit your beliefs. You'll see how anchoring bias tricks you into overvaluing the first number you hear - a tactic used every day by advertisers, retailers, and negotiators. The availability heuristic shows why vivid events like plane crashes feel far more common than they are, while more mundane risks go ignored. The sunk cost fallacy explains why people throw good money after bad, staying in doomed projects and relationships because they've already "invested too much to quit." The book also dives into the powerful social pull of the bandwagon effect, revealing why we so often follow the crowd even when our instincts warn us otherwise. With the Dunning-Kruger effect, you'll learn why the least competent often feel the most confident, and how humility is an antidote to overconfidence. The fundamental attribution error shows how quick we are to blame people instead of circumstances. The framing effect demonstrates that the way a choice is presented can completely change the decision we make, even when the facts remain the same. The overlooked survivorship bias highlights how focusing only on success stories hides the failures that matter just as much. And finally, the optimism bias reveals why we routinely underestimate our own risks, convinced that accidents, illness, or misfortune will happen to someone else, not us. Each chapter explains not only what the bias is, but also why it exists, how it shows up in daily life, and what strategies you can use to guard against it. From marketing tricks that shape your spending habits to workplace dynamics, political opinions, and personal choices, these biases are everywhere. By understanding them, you gain a clearer view of reality - and a better chance at making sound, intentional decisions. Accessible, engaging, and packed with real-world examples, Top 10 Cognitive Biases That Affect Your Everyday Decisions is more than just a book about psychology. It is a practical guide to seeing through the hidden distortions of your own mind. It invites you to step outside of your mental blind spots and develop the awareness to ask: "Am I thinking clearly, or is bias at play?" Whether you're a student of psychology, a professional seeking sharper decision-making skills, or simply a curious reader who wants to understand yourself better, this book will change how you think about thinking. By the end, you'll be able to recognise the invisible patterns that shape your perceptions - and reclaim control over the everyday choices that define your life. Knowledge is power, but self-knowledge is freedom.