Confirmation Bias

We have a tendency to interpret (or seek out) information that is consistent with our beliefs.

Featured in 1 UX Bite

Similar psychology:

Hyperbolic Discounting

Fresh Start Effect

Familiarity Bias

Likely impacts:

Attention & Interest

Happiness & Enjoyment

Last updated: 23/09/2026

How to utilise this in your designs

You could add a subtitle praising users for choosing the subscription option, so confirmation bias reassures them they've made the right decision at checkout.

Example from

Shop

Try showing why you're recommending a page or group, tying it to interests users already hold, so confirmation bias makes the suggestion feel relevant.

LinkedIn UI showing "Recommended for you" company suggestions with logos and follow buttons. Highlighted text: "People who work at Citadel also follow these pages" and "People skilled in Acting also follow these pages." Bottom nav includes Home, My Network, Post, Notifications, Jobs.

Example from

When users return after time away, you could prompt them to review their focus, realigning content with their current interests so it confirms their views.

Dark UI with yellow-highlighted "Review focus" button. Text box shows user interests: "psychology of technology, entreprenuership, ai art." Buttons "Save" and "How it works."

Example from

Refind

You could experiment with showing a match rating for each journey, so users already leaning towards an option see that belief confirmed and choose with confidence.

UI shows four colorful card options: Quiet your mind (92%), Get things done (88%), Be confident (79%), Keep your cool (54%) each with match %, learners count, and purple Add buttons.

Example from

Ahead

During onboarding, you could ask users what's holding them back, then reply with reassuring statistics, confirming their worries are shared by others.

Dark UI: progress bar, question "What's holding you back in school?", selectable list with white box showing black text "Exam stress" (arrow pointing, checked), "Memorising learnings" checked, blue Continue. Right: "65% of our students also struggle with exam stress" and "You're not alone" bubble.

Example from

Knowunity

Possible impacts

Aligning content with existing beliefs could increase users' attention and interest, as confirmation bias leads them to focus on information that agrees with them.

As seen in:

LinkedIn Specific LinkedIn recommendations

Ahead Specific social proof

Validating users' choices, rather than challenging them, may improve their enjoyment, as confirmation bias means most people dislike having their opinions contradicted.

As seen in:

Sentry An interactive hero H1

ConjuGato Bursting with joy

Written by Peter Ramsey

Consultant to 100+ companies

Published: 10/09/2023