5. I know I’m right; I just want data or an opinion to confirm my own thinking.

Known as confirmation bias, this thinking flaw has been behind notorious failures from the subprime loan market implosion to the NASA Challenger explosion . In each case, disconfirming data was available and should have raised concerns, but groupthink set in, and no one acted on it.

For example, could you be looking to confirm your inclination rather than buy the best car for your needs?