Watch for
Using "everyone knows" or "obviously" when describing your own views.
Social & PerceptionBias #24
False Consensus Effect
We overestimate how much others agree with us.
The tendency to overestimate the extent to which other people share our beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours.
Why it matters: Related to projection bias but distinct — it specifically overestimates the prevalence of our own views.
Try this
Seek out actual data on opinion distributions rather than assuming.
Real-world example
Someone who prefers remote work assumes "most people" feel the same way.
Key researchers
Lee Ross, David Greene, Pamela House
First described in 1977
Psychological mechanism
Availability and Self-Validation. Because our own thoughts, opinions, and social circles are highly accessible in memory, they form our primary baseline for estimating public sentiment. Additionally, believing our views are normal and widely accepted protects our self-esteem.
Seminal research
Lee Ross, David Greene, and Pamela House (1977), "The 'false consensus effect': An egocentric bias in social perception and attribution processes."
Related Biases
Debrief
Biases are not character flaws. They are recurring patterns in how minds compress uncertainty, save energy, and narrate reality. Once you recognise the pattern, you can slow the decision down, test the assumption, and make space for a better explanation.
Sources
Original ResearchRoss, Greene & House (1977) — Original study
EducationalAPA Dictionary entry