Cognitive bias: how to work with (not against) human psychology
Whether you’re working to shift public attitudes, inspire action, or influence decision-making, logical arguments alone are rarely enough. That’s because people don’t process information in a purely rational way. Instead, our decision making is driven in large part by subconscious emotions, values and cognitive biases.
We’ve already written and spoken a lot about the role of emotion and values in decision making. In this post, we’d like to delve deeper into some of the key cognitive biases that influence how we think and act.
Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts that help us navigate a complex world, but they also lead us to interpret information in ways that reinforce existing beliefs, prioritise emotions over facts, and resist change. Understanding these biases is essential for crafting messages that resonate and drive action.
Below we’ve outlined some of the key biases we come across in our research along with tips on how to work with them to change minds.
Confirmation Bias: seeing what we want to see
What it is: People seek out and remember information that supports their existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence.
Why it matters: Giving people facts alone doesn’t change minds. They’ll either ignore the facts or re-interpret them to fit their existing beliefs.
How to work with it: Instead of confronting your audiences with facts that prove their existing beliefs wrong, reframe the issue to help them see it from a new perspective that engages helpful values.
Example: Parents who have given their children alcohol in an effort to ‘teach them to drink responsibility’ will reject research that shows early initiation into alcohol increases the risk of harmful drinking later in life. One way to shift their beliefs is to reframe the issue from a question of “How do we teach children to drink responsibility?” to “How do we teach our children they can enjoy good food, socialise and enjoy life without alcohol?” The latter question makes supplying alcohol to children from a young age feel less right, if not wrong. For more on our research on this topic see our case study on how to talk to parents about underage alcohol supply.
Availability Heuristic: What’s vivid feels more important
What it is: People judge the likelihood of events based on how easily they can recall examples, rather than actual statistics. For example, after a high-profile shark attack, people overestimate the risk of sharks, even though drowning is far more common.
Why it matters: A single compelling story can outweigh mountains of data in shaping public perception.
How to work with it: Use powerful stories, images, and firsthand testimonials to make issues feel real and immediate.
Example: In our Framing Social Housing research, we boosted agreement that social housing residents “make good neighbours” when we told the (fictional) story of Deanne, a working mother of two young kids living in Melbourne’s outer suburbs studying at night and struggling to pay rent, versus giving participants a more general description of the difficulties working parents face affording their rent. The addition of a named person with insights into their daily lives made the information more vivid and real – boosting empathy and support.
Anchoring Bias: First impressions stick
What it is: The first piece of information people receive about a topic influences how they judge everything that follows. For example, in salary negotiations, a low first offer makes a higher counteroffer seem excessive.
Why it matters: The initial framing of an issue can shape how people perceive solutions.
How to work with it: Establish the frame before providing supporting evidence. Also, put the actors, actions and values that you would like your audience to focus on at the start of the message.
Example: Carefully order or pair things together. E.g. if we want to show how bad the alcohol industry is, then it’s more effective to lead with something that’s arguably even worse in the public’s eyes – such as the tobacco industry. So rather than say “it’s important to carefully regulate the marketing of harmful products such as alcohol”, say “it’s important to carefully regulate the marketing of harmful products such as tobacco and alcohol”. The negative connotations around tobacco, as the first example, will colour and shape the way audiences perceive the others that follow.
Social Proof: We tend to follow the herd
What it is: People are more likely to adopt behaviours or beliefs if they see (or hear of) others doing the same.
Why it matters: Showing that most people value/support the same things, helps create social momentum for change.
How to work with it: Wherever possible, highlight majority support for your cause or the popularity of desirable behaviours.
Example: While most people prioritise pro-social values such as helpfulness, honesty and equality far more than they do more self-interested values including wealth, power and prestige, most people assume the opposite. This in turn reduces their likelihood of engaging in all forms of civic action – from attending rallies and signing petitions, to engaging with others in their community around social or environmental issues they care about. Showing people, on the other hand, that most people in their community value the same things they do can help boost their willingness to engage in collective campaigns for change. For more on this, check out the brilliant Perceptions Matter research from our friends over at Common Cause Foundation in the UK.
Status Quo Bias: Change feels risky
What it is: People prefer to stick with what they know, even when a better option exists.
Why it matters: Resistance to change can hinder support for new policies or behaviours.
How to work with it: Frame new ideas as an extension of existing values rather than a radical shift. Priming self-direction values also helps to shift people into a mindset where they are open to change. For more on which values are useful to engage in our messaging, check out the Common Cause Handbook.
Example: When building support for safer speeds, we can frame the new limits in terms of other road safety measures that people now see as common sense and important. For example, we might say: “Just like we got used to seat belts that now save countless lives, we quickly get used to safer speeds.” For more, see the Safer Speeds Communications Toolkit.
Optimism Bias: “It won’t happen to me”
What it is: People believe they are less likely than others to experience negative outcomes. This is one reason why problem focussed messages and scare tactics often fail.
Why it matters: This bias makes people underestimate risks and delay necessary action.
How to work with it: Focus on the positive impacts of a behaviour or policy, instead of the negative impacts. This leverages the optimism bias to our advantage.
Example: WorkSafe Victoria’s Homecomings TVC (see below) helped reduce workplace injuries among young men by moving away from fear-based messaging and instead appealing to their deep sense of love and responsibility toward family. Given that young men’s higher-than-average risk-taking makes them more vulnerable to workplace injuries, this shift was strategic. Rather than focusing on worst-case scenarios, the ad reinforced a positive vision—coming home safely—which proved so effective it became one of WorkSafe’s longest-running campaigns.
Metaphor Effect: The power of subconscious analogy
What it is: People grasp complex ideas more easily when framed through familiar metaphors. Metaphors are any non-literal uses of a term or phrase. For example, when we say that someone in a relationship “cheated” on their partner, we’re using the metaphor of love as a game. There’s also the less obvious metaphor of being “in” a relationship, using the metaphor of a relationship as a container, which some people can’t wait to “get out of”.
Why it matters: The right metaphor can make an abstract or complex issue feel tangible or simple. Because metaphors are mostly subconscious, they carry meaning that we tend to accept without question (for example that sleeping with someone other than your partner is a deviant act that is against ‘the rules’).
How to work with it: Think carefully about any metaphors you use in your messaging. Ask yourself: what does this metaphor imply in this new context and is it helpful?
Example: Our research for the Framing Walking and Bike Riding guide revealed much stronger public support for walking and riding initiatives when we used the metaphor “open” rather than “closed”. For example, asking people whether we should “open more streets to people walking and bike riding without car traffic” led to a 34% bump in support compared to an alternative statement that referenced “closing more roads”. In this context, “open” carries connotations of being welcoming and inclusive, while “closed” means being blocked or excluded. Merri-bek Council in Melbourne has put this insight to good use in their hugely popular Open Streets initiative.
Illusory Truth Effect: Repetition makes it true
What it is: Repeated exposure to a statement increases the likelihood of believing it’s true, even if it’s false.
Why it matters: Repeating myths and misinformation can serve to strengthen falsehoods through repetition (even when we repeat them to debunk them). You can read more about that here .
How to work with it: Avoid repeating myths and, instead, reinforce helpful messages through repetition across different formats and trusted messengers.
Example: Instead of writing lengthy mythbusting posts giving people all the fact and figures proving that vaccines do not cause autism, tell stories that explain how vaccines work and the lives they save every day all around the world. This makes the truth more vivid than the myth.
Using human psychology for good
As you can see, cognitive biases have a powerful impact on how we process information and messaging. By understanding these psychological tendencies, we can craft more persuasive, impactful communications. Whether framing climate justice, promoting public health, or advocating for policy change, leveraging these biases strategically can mean the difference between indifference and engagement.
Need help navigating the biases that shape our attitudes and behaviour? Our team at Common Cause Australia provides in-depth training and message testing to help cause-based organisations craft communications that persuade.
Get in touch if you’d like to discuss.
