Fundamental Attribution Error: Why You Make Terrible Life Choices

When we screw up, we tend to believe things happened because of circumstances outside of our control. We don’t see all the things that might also be going on. Turns out that confidence boost can benefit us and may even serve an evolutionary purpose. End of an Error While the fundamental attribution error has some benefits, it also has a downside when it comes to how we think about others. Being aware of this tendency can help us put it in its place. Remembering how many things outside of our control had to go just right, can help us feel more grateful and reminds us of how lucky we are that so many things we had nothing to do with went just so. For example, that person who cut you off in traffic might be a jerk, or alternatively, maybe the driver is a woman in labor. Just Humans Humans seem to be hardwired to make the fundamental attribution error. However, this bias isn’t our destiny. The next time you catch yourself about to lose your patience, are tempted to give someone the stink eye or judge them as a bad person, remember they’re human, just like you.

Nir’s Note: This post part of a series on cognitive bias co-authored by Nir Eyal and illustrated byLakshmi Mani. Discover other reasons you make terrible life choices likeconfirmation bias,hyperbolic discountinganddistinction bias.

There I was, sitting in a packed movie theatre. I waited two years for this sequel and I’ve got enough popcorn and diet soda to last me a full three hours. Fifteen minutes into the movie, the hero and villain are facing off for the first time when a lady bursts into the theater. Trying to find a seat, she awkwardly tries to squeeze into the middle of the row in front of me blocking the best part of the movie. “What a rude and inconsiderate person!” I think to myself as I dodge her body when she scuffles by.

A week later I’m rushing to catch another film with my friends. It’s pouring rain and traffic is crazy. I hope I make it before the previews end but when I reach the theater (soaking wet I might add), the movie has already begun. I have to turn on the flashlight on my phone to find my seat and accidentally step on a few movie goers’ toes. I hear tuts and loud sighs. It’s clear these people think I’m a complete jerk.

“Well this isn’t my fault! It’s raining and the traffic was insane!” I think to myself as I take my seat. “I’m usually never late.”

The Fundamental Attribution Error Strikes Again

The “fundamental attribution error” is our bias to judge other people differently from how we judge ourselves. It is, according to Dr. Cristina Bicchieri, “the tendency to believe that what people do reflects who they are” — for better and for worse.

This cognitive bias takes a few forms. The first occurs when things go poorly. When we screw up, we tend to believe things happened because of circumstances outside of our control. However, when others fail, we tend to think it is a result of poor choices or someone being a bad person.

For example, I believed that being late to the movie was due to the weather, something I couldn’t control. However, I didn’t give the same affordance to the other moviegoer who was late. I assumed she was a rude person despite having no idea what might have made her late.

The second type of fundamental attribution error occurs when things go well. When we succeed, we tend to believe it is the result of our talent and hard work. That might be true, however, when others succeed, our bias tends to make us think the other person got lucky or was privileged in some way. That college friend who made it big in Hollywood or your pal who now reports to the CEO at a Fortune 500 company, they were just at the right place at the right time, right?