By Yiler Huang
Confirmation bias is people's unconscious tendency of choosing to get information that align with their own opinions. This happens because opposing opinions often trigger negative emotions. This kind of bias can be seen in political discussions, news, and our day to day media consuming. I also display confirmation bias from time to time. For example, I find myself less interested in videos on YouTube that criticizes movies, video games, or music that I like. I have also observed confirmation bias in my mother. She is a big supporter of a company that produces and sells salt water in rather high prices, and she refused to read the articles I sent her that reveal the scammy scheme of the company. Confirmation bias is also often used to influence people's opinions. Such as news channels often tweak or put emphasis on some parts of an event to favor certain political parties to draw supporters. Falling into confirmation bias can be dangerous, because it makes a person less likely to question and review their own beliefs if they only listen to opinions that you like. Without questioning their own beliefs, one might end up believing a false information due to their lack of self awareness.