Cognitive Ease and Illusions of Truth
Tags: watercooler, books, womenintech, mentalhealth
Published: 2020-01-08 13:11:29

I can claim that I know what I am thinking at any given time, but I don’t really know how my brain works. How does a simulation in the environment traverses through my neurons and somehow starts a chain reaction of thoughts, emotions and actions.

# System 1 and System 2

Human brain can be thought of as comprising of __two subsystems: System 1 and System 2__. System 1 is the __fast, intuitive__ decision maker and System 2 is the __slow and deliberate__ one. When someone says the word banana, I immediately think of a banana without any intent to do so. It is an automatic response and this is System 1’s doing. However, if I am asked what 23 times 18 is, it will take me some effort to come up with the correct answer.

![2 Systems](https://miro.medium.com/max/2400/1*kQdOtDv-7KolqkWPyQD0kw.png)

System 1 takes care of __intuitions and impressions__ but it cannot do difficult multiplication. System 2 needs to use its active resources and devote effort to actually get the calculation done and get a response. But __human brain is lazy__. It will always look for an intuitive, quick response before getting to work and if this spontaneous search for intuitive solution fails, I find myself switching __to a slower, more deliberate and effortful form of thinking__.

> Laziness is the reluctance to invest more effort than is strictly necessary.

# Cognitive Ease

Throughout the day, multiple computations are running in my brain which access and update answers to some key questions:

* Is anything new going on?
* Is there a threat?
* Are things going well?
* Should my attention be redirected?
* Is more effort needed for this task?

These assessments are carried out __automatically by System 1__, and one of their task is to determine whether extra effort is required from System 2. System 1 keeps check of __cognitive ease__ ranging from __“Easy”__ to __“Strained”__.

![Ease](https://www.niemanlab.org/images/sonyasong-Social.Share_.Sonya_.MozFest.Updated.23.png)

Easy is when things are going well — no threats, no major change, no need to redirect attention or mobilize efforts. Strained is when __System 2 needs to be engaged__ and take charge of the wheel.

# Ease and Mood

![mood](https://media.giphy.com/media/zw69pUViBZCZW/source.gif)

When I am in a state of cognitive ease, I tend to be in a __good mood__, like what I see, believe what I hear, trust my gut and drop my vigilance. Cognitive ease makes me feel that __my current situation is comfortably familiar__. When I feel strained, I am more likely to be __vigilant and suspicious__, invest more effort in what I am doing, feel less comfortable, and make fewer errors, but I also am __less intuitive and less creative__ than usual.

> The experience of familiarity has a simple but powerful quality of ‘pastness’ that seems to indicate that it is a direct reflection of prior experience. This quality of pastness is an illusion.

![Illusion](https://exploringyourmind.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/woman-wearing-parachute-inside-a-large-head-600x338.jpg)

# Illusions of Truth

Predictable illusions inevitably occur if a judgment is based on an impression of cognitive ease or strain. Anything that makes it easier for System 1 to run smoothly will also bias beliefs. __A reliable way to make people believe in falsehoods is frequent repetition, because familiarity is not easily distinguished from truth.__

> Good mood, intuition, creativity, gullibility, and increased reliance on System form a cluster. At the other pole, sadness, vigilance, suspicion, an analytic approach, and increased effort also go together.

__A happy mood loosens the control of System 2 over performance__: when in a good mood, people become more intuitive and more creative but also less vigilant and more prone to logical errors. Here, __the connection makes biological sense__. A good mood is a signal that things are generally going well, the __environment is safe__, and it is all right to let one’s guard down. A bad mood indicates that things are not going very well, there may be a threat, and vigilance is required.

Cognitive ease is both a cause and a consequence of a pleasant feeling and __link between positive emotion and cognitive ease in System 1 has a long evolutionary history__.

![Fork](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DtnmW04WkAAfpIV.jpg)

Psychologists believe that __all of us live much of our life guided by the impressions of System 1__ — and we often do not know the source of these impressions. How do I know that a statement is true?

* If it is strongly linked by logic or association to other beliefs or preferences I hold, or
* comes from a source I trust and like,

I will feel a sense of cognitive ease. The trouble is that __there may be other causes for this feeling of ease__ and I have no simple way of tracing my feelings to their source.

> The sense of ease or strain has multiple causes, and it is difficult to tease them apart.

__Difficult, but not impossible__. On most occasions, the lazy System 2 will adopt the suggestions of System 1 and march on. However, __I can overcome some of the superficial factors that produce illusions of truth__ when strongly motivated to do so.

Resource: https://byrslf.co/cognitive-ease-and-illusions-of-truth-26e7d1ea18b2