← Cognitive Bias Cards
Cognitive Bias Cards · Card 6
Herd Mentality
When everyone does it, it feels safe.The reasoning hasn't improved.
- The crowd
- The reasoning
- Feels safer
- No better than before
Reasoning changes when everyone around you is doing the same thing; the crowd's confidence quietly substitutes for your own.
Reasoning Alone
My own judgment
Reasoning in a Crowd
The crowd's confidence, borrowed
In Practice
A stock everyone is suddenly talking about feels safer to buy simply because of the crowd, not because the underlying reasoning actually improved.
Generic Example
A queue outside a shop makes people join it before asking what it's even for; the crowd itself becomes the reason.
Ask yourself
If no one else were doing this, would I still think it was a good idea?