In 1985, a famous study claimed streaks of successful shots were pure illusion, and the “hot hand” became the textbook example of flawed judgment. But in 2018, two economists spotted a subtle statistical bias in the analysis method. Once corrected, the same data showed a modest real effect. Even debunking a bias can be biased.
Remembering is not replaying a recording — it is rebuilding. Each time you recall a memory, it becomes temporarily malleable and can be altered before being stored again. That is why two people can sincerely remember the same event… differently.
In 2003, Johnson and Goldstein compared European countries. Where you must tick a box to become a donor, consent rates ranged from 4% to 28%. Where you're a donor by default unless you opt out, they topped 85%. People aren't more generous on one side; most simply stick with whatever option was chosen for them.