The Thought That Counts - Insights into Biases and Fallacies 6

Short inspirational insights into our common biases and fallacies.  Become more mindful and make better decisions through a deeper understanding of our mental shortcuts and errors in judgment. 

Robin Hills (Ei4Change) was inspired to create The Thought That Counts podcast from his series of bite-sized, inspirational soundbites for his local radio station.

Since then, these contributions have reached a wider audience through the podcast - The Thought That Counts.

This podcast explores the some of our common biases and fallacies:

• Selling Out
• Self-serving Bias
• The Spotlight Effect
• The Third Person Effect
• Catharsis 
  
  

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Chapters

• 0:20 Introduction
• 1:03 Selling Out
• 2:58 Self-Serving Bias
• 4:43 The Spotlight Effect
• 6:08 The Third Person Effect
• 7:59 Catharsis

Transcript

Robin Hills: 0:20

Welcome to the Thought That Counts podcast inspired by my local radio station, Bolton FM. Five short snappy sound bites around aspects of emotional intelligence. In this series, we're exploring common biases and fallacies that can significantly shape the way we interpret information and make decisions. In this episode, we explore selling out, self-serving bias, the spotlight effect, the third-person effect, and catharsis. I hope you enjoy this episode of The Thought That Counts. The Thought That Counts. It's tempting to believe that we're passive victims of modern consumer culture pushed into needless purchases by clever corporations and their targeted advertising. This storyline feels safe because it allows us to shift the responsibility elsewhere. Yet the idea that powerful companies are pulling these strings while we simply react is far too simple and in truth, inaccurate. Corporations benefit from the system, but they're not the ones driving it. Once our basic needs are covered, human attention naturally turns to status and social standing. We're social creatures who rank ourselves against the people around us. Capitalism has not created this drive. It has merely given us an elaborate scoreboard for comparing our place in the hierarchy. We don't buy the luxury watch or the upgraded car because the advert dazzled us. We buy these things because we're quietly measuring ourselves against colleagues, neighbours, and the polished lives we see online. Advertising doesn't invent this urge. It only highlights the symbols that carry weight in the competition we already take part in. The uncomfortable truth is that the real engine of consumerism sits within us. It's powered by insecurity and the need to demonstrate our position in the social order. Companies aren't forcing us to buy things. They're simply selling new shoes while we run harder, determined to stay ahead of the people we believe are catching up. The Thought That Counts. We like to believe we judge ourselves with calm objectivity, weighing our past wins and mistakes to reach a fair sense of who we are. It's a reassuring idea, yet far from the truth. Our minds are not in partial courtrooms. They behave more like clever defence lawyers, intent on protecting our self-esteem rather than offering an honest review of our choices and behaviour. This pattern is known as the self-serving bias. When things go well, we tend to claim the credit, believing our talent, intelligence, or effort made the difference. When things go badly, the explanation shifts immediately to something outside us. The test was unfair, the workload was impossible, someone created the delay. Over time, this habit builds a distorted self-portrait, one that inflates our strengths and shields us from responsibility for our setbacks. The danger is that this bias slows our development. If we always believe success reflects our ability and failure belongs to something or someone else, we lose the chance to learn from difficult moments. Real progress begins when we step away from the flattering version of ourselves and face a more accurate one. Only then can we see where growth is possible and build genuine confidence rather than a fragile illusion. The Thought That Counts. Most of us had moments when a small floor, a stain on a shirt or an unruly patch of hair, feels impossible to hide. It can seem as if every person in the room is staring straight at it. This reaction is driven by the spotlight effect, the tendency to assume others notice far more about us than they actually do. We move through life with intense self-awareness because we live inside our own thoughts. That inward focus tricks us into believing everyone else is paying similar attention. In reality, people are wrapped up in their their own concerns. A well-known study showed how wide this gap can be. Students thought half the room would notice an embarrassing T-shirt, yet only a fifth did. Once you understand this, the pressure eases. You can try things without worrying that the whole world is watching, and you can move on quickly from small slips that others will barely register. The imagined spotlight is far brighter than the real one, and most people are too occupied with their own inner dialogue to study yours. The Thought That Counts. The third person effect is the quiet conviction that our own views rest on sound judgement, while those who disagree with us have been swayed by unreliable sources. It feels natural to assume that our conclusions arise from experience, evidence and clear thinking, yet theirs comes from misinformation or manipulation. This split enables us to preserve a sense of being grounded and perceptive while diminishing opposing views as the product of weaker reasoning. The difficulty is that this belief is universal. Everyone thinks the people on the other side are the ones who are easily influenced. Each group imagines itself to be sensible and informed and imagines the other to be naive. This creates a spiral in which both sides feel superior and both sides feel misunderstood. Instead of recognising how communication shapes us all, we cling to the idea that influence is something that happens to other people. The real insight is that none of us is as resistant as we like to think. We're all shaped by the messages we encounter, the circles we move in, and the stories we find persuasive. Acknowledging this doesn't weaken our position. It strengthens it. When we accept that we, too, are open to influence, we begin to listen more carefully, argue more fairly, and approach disagreement with a little bit more humility. The Thought That Counts. Many people believe that releasing anger through shouting, hitting a pillow, or getting it out of your system is a healthy way to relieve tension. It feels intuitive The idea of catharsis promises a clean emotional reset and the sense that venting today will prevent an outburst tomorrow. This belief is comforting because it offers a quick route to relief and a simple explanation for why emotions sometimes run high. The evidence tells a different story. Venting rarely clears anger. It rehearses it. Each time we express rage in a forceful way, we strengthen the pathways that make angry reactions more likely in the future. Instead of calming the mind, these These outbursts deepen the habit of responding aggressively. Over time, people who rely on venting often report rising irritability and shorter fuses, especially with those closest to them. Real relief comes from approaches that interrupt the cycle rather than feed it. Slowing your breathing, stepping away from the trigger, or Taking a moment to label what you're feeling helps the body to settle and gives the mind room to think. These strategies build emotional steadiness rather than amplify tension. When we stop treating anger as something that must be expelled, we create space for responses that protect our relationships and our well-being. I'm Robin Hills from EI4Change. Empowering your Emotional Management. The Thought That Counts.