““Rationalization is a process of not perceiving reality, but of attempting to make reality fit one’s emotions.” We humans possess a strong, innate desire to view ourselves as competent and upstanding, meaning that when we fail ourselves in some way, we tend, consciously or not, to explain it away. In fact, this rationalization bias is so ingrained that we use it for just about everything—from excusing our cheating to even convincing ourselves why it wasn’t our fault that we missed a train.””
