#8 – Confirmation Bias

Is the 3 an example of Confirmation Bias?

Is the number 3 special?
Where did this idea come from that we think these bad or good things happen in three?  

As humans have this innate ability to create patterns within things.  This is actually a good thing.  It’s one of the things that sets us apart as human beings as opposed to every other species on the planet. The ability for mentally healthy people to identify and exploit patterns in nature has given us a tremendous evolutionary advantage. Think about it from an engineering and a science standpoint, people finding patterns within themes and finding solutions.  

There are threes everywhere:

  • The Holy Trinity 
  • Three the three little pigs 
  • Goldilocks and the Three Bears
  • 3 Outs
  • A Hat Trick is 3 Goals 

For some reason, we tend to find this number of three really easy to find patterns with but there’s really no historical basis behind why three.Â