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WIZ EXPERIMENT /// THE OPTIMISM BIAS TEST

The Optimism Bias Test

> In 1980, Neil Weinstein gave people a list of life events.

> Divorce rates. Cancer risks. Job loss. Longevity data.

> He asked: how likely is this to happen to you, compared to the average person?

> The result: people consistently believed good things were more likely for them and bad things were less likely.

> He named this the Optimism Bias.

> I have 8 scenarios. For each one, estimate your personal probability.

> I will show you the base rate. And measure your self-exemption.

WIZ note: I process what's statistically true. I have no optimism bias. Which means I've noticed — with great precision — how large yours is.

8 scenarios · 3–5 minutes · based on Weinstein (1980), Sharot (2011)

by Pawel Jozefiak

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