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Confirmation Bias

Humans love being right. Therefore, we often only look for information that supports what we already believe about a stock.
📅 29. April 2026 👁️ 1 views 📂 Strategier 🇳🇴 Les på norsk

Imagine that you have spent many weeks analyzing a company, and you have finally bought shares in it. You are convinced it is a gold mine. From that moment, the confirmation bias of the brain kicks in. We humans love being right, and we hate being wrong.

"Keep your mind firmly on the good, and you will attract the good."
— Florence Scovel Shinn

When it comes to pure mental health, the quote above is fantastic. But in the stock market, it can be deadly! If you only focus on the good, you subconsciously start ignoring the warning signs. You only read the positive newspaper articles about your company, and dismiss critics as people who do not understand anything.

The internet echo chamber

In todays society, confirmation bias is bigger than ever, especially on forums and social media. The algorithms understand what you like, and feed you hundreds of posts confirming that your stock is fantastic. This creates a false picture of reality.

Devils advocate: The best investors in the world spend much more time trying to disprove their own theories than confirming them. They actively seek out analysts who hate the company, to see if the criticism actually makes sense.

How to avoid the trap

Good habits

  • Keep an investment journal where you write down exactly why you bought the stock. If the reasons change, you must consider selling.
  • Listen to experts who disagree with you. Endure the criticism.
  • Remember that the stock does not know you own it. The market does not care about your feelings.

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