--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: tendency to seek confirming evidence and…" description: "\"“tendency to seek confirming evidence and ignore disconfirming evidence as “confirmation bias,” and it's as human as sex, sleep, and barbeque.”\" — Davi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/203/david-disalvo-3662_confirmation-bias_tendency-to-seek-confirming-evidence-and_2302135.jpg" --- # tendency to seek confirming evidence and ignore… ![“tendency to seek confirming evidence and ignore disconfirming evidence as “confirmation bias,” and it's as human as sex, sleep, and barbeque.” quote by David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/203/david-disalvo-3662_confirmation-bias_tendency-to-seek-confirming-evidence-and_2302135.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/203/david-disalvo-3662_confirmation-bias_tendency-to-seek-confirming-evidence-and_2302135.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/203/david-disalvo-3662_confirmation-bias_tendency-to-seek-confirming-evidence-and_2302135.jpg) > ““tendency to seek confirming evidence and ignore disconfirming evidence as “confirmation bias,” and it's as human as sex, sleep, and barbeque.”” [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People naturally favor evidence that supports their beliefs, ignoring contradictory data, a bias as common as basic needs. **In simple terms:** We favor confirming evidence over disconfirming. Key Takeaway Beware of confirmation bias. Themes cognition psychology bias Mood skeptical reflective Type analytical educational When to use this quote - research - news consumption - team meetings - personal beliefs Key Concepts cognitive bias critical thinking decision making Questions to Reflect On - What belief have you defended despite contrary evidence? - How can you seek disconfirming data? A Different Perspective Bias can be hard to detect without external feedback. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Darwin paid particular attention to disconfirming evidence. Objectivity maintenance routines are totally required in life if you're going to be a great thinker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/darwin-paid-particular-attention-to-disconfirming-evidence/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [“Dissonance theory also exploded the self-flattering idea that we humans, being Homo sapiens, process information logically. On the contrary: If the new information is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-tavris-elliot-aronson/dissonance-theory-also-exploded-the-self-flattering-idea-that-we/) [Carol Tavris, Elliot Aronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-tavris-elliot-aronson/) > [“It’s a truism that love is blind; what’s less obvious is just how much evidence it can ignore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/it-s-a-truism-that-love-is-blind-what-s-less-obvious-is-just-how-much/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [Those who believe in climate change, as I do, I think it's also fair to say that they are more receptive to confirming evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/those-who-believe-in-climate-change-as-i-do-i-think-it-s-also-fair-to/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [Between hindsight bias, fake causality, positive bias, anchoring/priming, et cetera et cetera, and above all the dreaded confirmation bias, once an idea gets into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/between-hindsight-bias-fake-causality-positive-bias-anchoring-priming/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“The last major risk to getting good facts is our own prejudices. While we may not always test a solution based on our opinions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/the-last-major-risk-to-getting-good-facts-is-our-own-prejudices-while/) [Nat Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-greene/) > [ “\[W\]e have an automatic tendency to pay attention to or seek out information that is in agreement with (confirms) our preconceptions, and to ignore,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadsworth-publishing/w-e-have-an-automatic-tendency-to-pay-attention-to-or-seek-out/) Wadsworth Publishing > [“The modern media, with so many options tailored to particular views, is a huge exercise in confirmation bias. This means that Americans are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/the-modern-media-with-so-many-options-tailored-to-particular-views-is/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [The scientific method is designed to help investigators overcome the most entrenched human cognitive habit: the confirmation bias, the tendency to notice and remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-tavris/the-scientific-method-is-designed-to-help-investigators-overcome-the/) [Carol Tavris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-tavris/) > [“The scientific method asserts that one cannot prove a hypothesis, only disprove it. Seeing more white swans may strengthen the hypothesis, but seeing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-jolly/the-scientific-method-asserts-that-one-cannot-prove-a-hypothesis-only/) [Rich Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-jolly/) > [As people's opportunities to succumb to confirmation bias increases online - only seeking out information that confirms their prejudices - ignorance, extremism and close-mindedness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/as-people-s-opportunities-to-succumb-to-confirmation-bias-increases/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [“The confirmation bias is alive and well in the business world. One example: An executive team decides on a new strategy. The team enthusiastically”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-dobelli/the-confirmation-bias-is-alive-and-well-in-the-business-world-one/) [Rolf Dobelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-dobelli/) > [“Because it’s very easy to fall victim to confirmation bias, try focusing only on data that invalidates your hypothesis before looking for data that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/product-school/because-it-s-very-easy-to-fall-victim-to-confirmation-bias-try/) Product School > [“One rule of thumb is to keep searching for options until you fall in love at least twice. If you’ve only identified one good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-heath/one-rule-of-thumb-is-to-keep-searching-for-options-until-you-fall-in/) [Chip Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-heath/) > [We tend to accept information that confirms our prior beliefs and ignore or discredit information that does not. This confirmation bias settles over our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-hill/we-tend-to-accept-information-that-confirms-our-prior-beliefs-and/) [Kyle Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-hill/) ## More by David DiSalvo > [“The flip side of this reality is that our big brains, advanced as they are, come with an array of complex shortcomings and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/the-flip-side-of-this-reality-is-that-our-big-brains-advanced-as-they/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“Participants who anticipated more rapid feedback scored the highest on the test.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/participants-who-anticipated-more-rapid-feedback-scored-the-highest/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“The best way to think of how our brains frame information is to imagine a picture frame, except unlike a normal frame, this one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/the-best-way-to-think-of-how-our-brains-frame-information-is-to/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“the amPFC and PCC were shown to play a large role in self-referential thinking and autobiographical memory (essentially, the “me” part of your brain).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/the-ampfc-and-pcc-were-shown-to-play-a-large-role-in-self-referential/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“those who ask themselves whether they will perform a task generally do better than those who tell themselves that they will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/those-who-ask-themselves-whether-they-will-perform-a-task-generally/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“words, for our brains, reality equals relevance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/words-for-our-brains-reality-equals-relevance/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“In German, bridge (die brucke) is a feminine noun; in Spanish, bridge (el puente) is a masculine noun. Boroditsky found that when asked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/in-german-bridge-die-brucke-is-a-feminine-noun-in-spanish-bridge-el/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“selective attention,” also called “selectivity bias”—the tendency to orient oneself toward and process information from only one part of our environment to the exclusion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/selective-attention-also-called-selectivity-bias-the-tendency-to/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“great deal of “green” marketing is predicated on the assumption that people will buy a green product to make themselves feel better about moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/great-deal-of-green-marketing-is-predicated-on-the-assumption-that/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“appears that our first instinct is for idleness, but when given an excuse to be busy (even a meaningless one), we're liable to act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/appears-that-our-first-instinct-is-for-idleness-but-when-given-an/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“The reason that persuasive messages are short, pithy, and digestible in seconds is that we process them so quickly that they become familiar without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/the-reason-that-persuasive-messages-are-short-pithy-and-digestible-in/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“schema (singular form of schemata) is like a mental map of concepts that hangs together by association.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/schema-singular-form-of-schemata-is-like-a-mental-map-of-concepts/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“Specifically, a web of neurons—dubbed the “default network”—spanning three brain regions (the medial prefrontal cortex, the posterior cingulate cortex, and the parietal cortex) are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/specifically-a-web-of-neurons-dubbed-the-default-network-spanning/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“it's always on in the background but only takes first chair in our brains when we're not focused on anything in particular.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/it-s-always-on-in-the-background-but-only-takes-first-chair-in-our/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“Our expectations for what we should be able to recall are hardly in line with what our brains are capable of processing—which, by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/our-expectations-for-what-we-should-be-able-to-recall-are-hardly-in/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) [Explore all 125 David DiSalvo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) ## More Confirmation Bias quotes > [We tend to accept information that confirms our prior beliefs and ignore or discredit information that does not. This confirmation bias settles over our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-hill/we-tend-to-accept-information-that-confirms-our-prior-beliefs-and/) [Kyle Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-hill/) > [“One rule of thumb is to keep searching for options until you fall in love at least twice. If you’ve only identified one good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-heath/one-rule-of-thumb-is-to-keep-searching-for-options-until-you-fall-in/) [Chip Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-heath/) > [“Because it’s very easy to fall victim to confirmation bias, try focusing only on data that invalidates your hypothesis before looking for data that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/product-school/because-it-s-very-easy-to-fall-victim-to-confirmation-bias-try/) Product School > [“The confirmation bias is alive and well in the business world. One example: An executive team decides on a new strategy. The team enthusiastically”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-dobelli/the-confirmation-bias-is-alive-and-well-in-the-business-world-one/) [Rolf Dobelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-dobelli/) > [“Dissonance theory also exploded the self-flattering idea that we humans, being Homo sapiens, process information logically. On the contrary: If the new information is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-tavris-elliot-aronson/dissonance-theory-also-exploded-the-self-flattering-idea-that-we/) [Carol Tavris, Elliot Aronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-tavris-elliot-aronson/) > [As people's opportunities to succumb to confirmation bias increases online - only seeking out information that confirms their prejudices - ignorance, extremism and close-mindedness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/as-people-s-opportunities-to-succumb-to-confirmation-bias-increases/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [“The scientific method asserts that one cannot prove a hypothesis, only disprove it. Seeing more white swans may strengthen the hypothesis, but seeing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-jolly/the-scientific-method-asserts-that-one-cannot-prove-a-hypothesis-only/) [Rich Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-jolly/) > [The scientific method is designed to help investigators overcome the most entrenched human cognitive habit: the confirmation bias, the tendency to notice and remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-tavris/the-scientific-method-is-designed-to-help-investigators-overcome-the/) [Carol Tavris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-tavris/) > [“The modern media, with so many options tailored to particular views, is a huge exercise in confirmation bias. This means that Americans are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/the-modern-media-with-so-many-options-tailored-to-particular-views-is/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [ “\[W\]e have an automatic tendency to pay attention to or seek out information that is in agreement with (confirms) our preconceptions, and to ignore,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadsworth-publishing/w-e-have-an-automatic-tendency-to-pay-attention-to-or-seek-out/) Wadsworth Publishing > [“The last major risk to getting good facts is our own prejudices. While we may not always test a solution based on our opinions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/the-last-major-risk-to-getting-good-facts-is-our-own-prejudices-while/) [Nat Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-greene/) > [Between hindsight bias, fake causality, positive bias, anchoring/priming, et cetera et cetera, and above all the dreaded confirmation bias, once an idea gets into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/between-hindsight-bias-fake-causality-positive-bias-anchoring-priming/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“As it happens, there’s a way of presenting data, called the funnel plot, that indicates whether or not the scientific literature is biased in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordelia-fine/as-it-happens-there-s-a-way-of-presenting-data-called-the-funnel-plot/) [Cordelia Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordelia-fine/) > [“Confirmation bias is the tendency to see things in your environment that confirm your preconceived ideas and not see things that conflict with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/confirmation-bias-is-the-tendency-to-see-things-in-your-environment/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“when familiar labels are applied, supporting evidence becomes far more visible than counter-evidence in a psychological process known as confirmation bias.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-ryan/when-familiar-labels-are-applied-supporting-evidence-becomes-far-more/) [Christopher Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-ryan/) Browse all 37 Confirmation Bias quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“tendency to seek confirming evidence and ignore disconfirming evidence as “confirmation bias,” and it's as human as sex, sleep, and barbeque.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David DiSalvo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/tendency-to-seek-confirming-evidence-and-ignore-disconfirming/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Confirmation Bias" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/tendency-to-seek-confirming-evidence-and-ignore-disconfirming/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/203/david-disalvo-3662_confirmation-bias_tendency-to-seek-confirming-evidence-and_2302135.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/203/david-disalvo-3662_confirmation-bias_tendency-to-seek-confirming-evidence-and_2302135.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/203/david-disalvo-3662_confirmation-bias_tendency-to-seek-confirming-evidence-and_2302135.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“tendency to seek confirming evidence and ignore disconfirming evidence as “confirmation bias,” and it's as…” — David DiSalvo", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David DiSalvo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“tendency to seek confirming evidence and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/tendency-to-seek-confirming-evidence-and-ignore-disconfirming/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/tendency-to-seek-confirming-evidence-and-ignore-disconfirming/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```