奇创岛

From «Thinking, Fast and Slow»

Create Your Cognitive Bias Self-Portrait

You'll review 3–5 real decisions from the past three months that felt 'off' in hindsight, identify the high-frequency biases behind each using the System 1 vs System 2 framework, and ultimately draw a 'Thinking Error Pattern Checklist' that's uniquely yours.

Final work

A 'My Cognitive Bias Self-Portrait' (3–5 real decisions + bias identification + personal signals to trigger System 2 next time)

Estimated time

45–90 min

Submitted

…

Your final work

Purpose:Anchor Kahneman's abstract bias concepts to your own real mistakes, see your high-frequency error patterns, and build personalized System 2 trigger signals.

Parts:

  • 3–5 real decision moments (time, context, what you were thinking, outcome)
  • The main bias type for each decision and the book's basis
  • How System 1 fast thinking showed up in that moment
  • Key information you missed in hindsight
  • Your high-frequency bias ranking (Top 2–3)
  • A personal checklist of signals to trigger System 2 next time
  • A one-sentence self-portrait summary

Use cases:

  • · Self-reminder before important decisions
  • · Discuss blind spots with trusted partners
  • · Identify situations where you need to 'force a slowdown'

Pick a topic

Pick the topic closest to you, or write a custom one when you submit.

Personal Life

Learning / Growth

Family / Parenting

Work / Projects

Communication / Relationships

Tools you'll use from the book

Decision Recall Card

Recreate the decision moment: what you knew, thought, and did—reconstructing System 1's complete action trajectory.

How to use it here:

For each real decision you select, write it out using the five-frame structure: 'time / context / initial reaction / final action / post-event feeling' as raw material for bias identification.

Boundaries:

Only record what actually happened; don't polish or beautify your thoughts after the fact. The goal is to see yourself clearly, not to judge right or wrong.

Loss Aversion Detector

Identify when you did something you shouldn't have because you feared losing something—did you delay cutting losses because you didn't want to admit a loss or couldn't let go of sunk costs?

How to use it here:

In each decision recall card, ask yourself: 'If this were a fresh start, would I still do it?' If the answer is no, loss aversion or sunk cost bias may be at play.

Boundaries:

Loss aversion is not the same as caution; caution can be rational. Distinguish between 'new evidence supports continuing' and 'just don't want to admit a loss.'

Availability Source Audit

Check whether you think something is common because it's easy to recall, or because it actually is common—frequent in mind doesn't equal high probability.

How to use it here:

For a perceived risk or judgment, ask: 'Where did I recently see this information? Does that source systematically overrepresent this type of event?'

Boundaries:

The availability heuristic isn't always wrong; sometimes frequent recall does correspond to real frequency. The tool's purpose is to prompt verification, not to force rejection of intuition.

First Instinct Log

Record 'what was my first instinct / what did I ultimately do / did they match?'—capturing the moment System 1 and System 2 clashed.

How to use it here:

In each decision of your self-portrait, note: was this decision System 1-driven (fast, intuitive, unaware of reasoning) or did System 2 intervene (slow, deliberate weighing)? Which one won?

Boundaries:

System 1 intuition isn't always wrong; the goal isn't to dismiss it, but to see clearly which scenarios your intuition is trustworthy in and which require slowing down.

Confidence Calibration Table

Compare your confidence level (0–10) at the time with the actual outcome—overconfidence usually shows up as 'actual accuracy far below confidence.'

How to use it here:

For decisions involving predictions, estimates, or probability judgments, recall your confidence score at the time, then compare it to the actual result to see if there's systematic overestimation.

Boundaries:

Confidence calibration is a statistical phenomenon; a single event doesn't prove anything. Accumulate at least 3 data points for meaningful reference.

Work rules

Your work MUST include

  • At least 3 real decision moments (not hypothetical/imaginative)
  • Each decision must correspond to at least one named bias concept from the book (e.g., anchoring, loss aversion, availability bias, sunk cost, hindsight bias, overconfidence, peak-end rule)
  • Specific manifestation of System 1 in that moment (not empty talk; write what you actually felt/thought)
  • Key information you missed in hindsight (not vague statements like 'I was too impulsive')
  • Your high-frequency bias ranking (Top 2–3, summarized from your own multiple cases)
  • Personal signals to trigger System 2 next time (specific and actionable, e.g., 'when feeling anxious, wait 10 minutes')
  • A one-sentence self-portrait summary

Your work CANNOT just be

  • Just listing definitions of bias concepts from the book
  • Using hypothetical 'what if' scenarios instead of real experiences
  • Writing empty statements like 'I'll be more rational in the future' that can't be executed
  • Applying pathological labels (don't write 'I have OCD' or 'I have anxiety disorder' or other diagnostic language)
  • Letting AI fabricate or infer your personal experiences

AI can help you here

Round 1: Help me choose a topic

When to use: You're not sure which role/scenario to start with and want AI to help you find the decision moment that resonates most.

I'm working on the '{{route name}}' project using '{{book name}}'. I need to review my real decision moments to create a cognitive bias self-portrait.

Based on my situation, help me find the 1–2 most suitable entry points from the following topic angles, and explain why these scenarios are most likely to reveal my high-frequency biases.

My situation (please fill in truthfully):
[What kind of decisions have felt 'off' in the past month? For example: consumption, investment, work, family, social. You can also describe a specific example.]

Optional topic angles:
[Paste the list of topics from the page]

Please output:
1. The 1–2 most recommended entry angles
2. Why these angles are most likely to uncover real bias cases in my situation
3. 2–3 guiding questions I can ask myself before starting to recall specific details

Yellow placeholders need you to fill in before using the AI.

AI can help you organize ideas, but cannot make final judgments for you. Don't let AI fabricate experiences, cases, or misleading content.

Round 2: Help me extract tools from the book

When to use: You've chosen 1–2 decision moments but aren't sure which bias concept from the book they correspond to, or you want to know how Kahneman explains that type of bias.

My project is '{{route name}}' from '{{book name}}'.

My topic is:
{{topic}}

I've recalled a real decision moment, roughly like this:
[Briefly describe your decision moment]

Please help me:
1. Find the most accurate bias concept from '{{book name}}' that describes this decision error (provide specific explanation or experimental case from the book as reference)
2. Explain what System 1 specifically did in this decision (what conclusion did it jump to? what information did it ignore?)
3. If multiple related biases exist, help me distinguish the primary and secondary biases
4. Point out under what conditions this bias is most easily triggered (help me identify my 'susceptible scenarios')

Don't just give definitions—explain with my specific case.

Yellow placeholders need you to fill in before using the AI.

AI can help you organize ideas, but cannot make final judgments for you. Don't let AI fabricate experiences, cases, or misleading content.

Round 3: Help me check my work

When to use: You've finished the first draft of your self-portrait and want to confirm that bias identification is accurate and System 2 trigger signals are actionable before submitting.

I'm submitting a project work on Shufang Island.

Book: '{{book name}}'
Project route: {{route name}}
My topic: {{topic}}

My draft work:
{{draft work}}

Please check against the following criteria:
1. Are the decision moments real and specific (time/context/thoughts at the time/outcome, not vague)?
2. Is the bias identification accurate (corresponds to real concepts in the book, not forced labels)?
3. Is the trajectory of System 1's actions written out (not just empty phrases like 'I was impulsive')?
4. Is the high-frequency bias ranking supported by multiple cases (not inferred from a single case)?
5. Are the System 2 trigger signals specific and actionable (e.g., 'wait X minutes', 'ask myself X question', not 'I'll be more rational')?
6. Does the work contain any pathological labels (e.g., 'I have OCD' or other diagnostic language)? If so, point them out.
7. Is it ready to submit?

Please output:
- Overall evaluation
- What's already good
- What must be fixed (including inaccurate bias identification, empty talk, pathological labels, etc.)
- What could be enhanced
- Suggested structure for the revised work

Yellow placeholders need you to fill in before using the AI.

AI can help you organize ideas, but cannot make final judgments for you. Don't let AI fabricate experiences, cases, or misleading content.

Submit my work