To what extent is your dating life predetermined?
It’s a thought-provoking question. Is your response to someone genuinely genuine, or is it just your brain processing information from the past and your innate human nature?
Biases in cognition are not new. Most people are familiar with concepts like the sunk-cost fallacy, negativity bias, and confirmation bias. However, that is only the start. Numerous other cognitive oddities may also affect our dating experiences, as I discussed here. These are frequently unconscious processes that have a direct bearing on the things we do and the outcomes we observe in the world.
However, in addition to some well-known biases, there are also some that are less well known but still very powerful. I want to talk about one today that I think keeps individuals from moving forward. It’s a subtle but potent effect that can make you believe that something is your fault, deny reality, and defend causes that appear hopeless to others.
The anchoring effect is a cognitive bias that can subtly and often unconsciously direct your dating life. It is a subtle but powerful force. Let’s explore what anchoring is and how our relationships are shaped by it.
What is Anchoring Bias?
Anchoring bias is the propensity for us to base a lot of our decisions on the first piece of information we are given, or the “anchor.”
This cognitive bias was first noted by psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman in the 1970s. Their seminal work in behavioral economics shown how people’s decisions are frequently influenced by unimportant statistics and first impressions.
Typical instances of anchoring bias include:
Retail Pricing: When we see a price marked as “50% off,” we tend to focus on the savings rather than the item’s original price or even the product’s quality. This strategy is widely employed by retailers, who establish a high starting cost (the anchor) to entice customers to take advantage of later discounts.
pay discussions: The first pay offered becomes the anchor in most job discussions. It is capable of
