Hello and welcome to a weekend episode of Daily English — where we try to grow, in English and in life. Today’s idea is simple — but uncomfortable.
We don’t see reality as it is. We see reality as we expect it to be.
This is called confirmation bias. Confirmation bias means this:
Once you believe something, your brain starts looking for evidence that supports it —
and quietly ignores evidence that doesn’t.
Let’s make it real.If you believe: “I’m bad at speaking in public,” you will remember every time you hesitated. You will forget the moments you were clear.
If you believe: “My partner doesn’t care,” you will notice the one cold reply — and overlook five small acts of kindness.
If you believe: “Nothing ever works for me,” you will collect every failure and dismiss every success as “luck.”
The brain is not neutral. It is selective. Here’s what makes it powerful.
Research shows that when our core beliefs are challenged, the brain activates areas linked to emotional threat.
So when someone disagrees with you, your body reacts before your logic does.
That’s why arguments feel intense. It’s not just disagreement. It feels like identity pressure.
So here’s the real danger of confirmation bias: It keeps you trapped in your current identity.
If your story is negative, your brain will help you stay there. If your story is limited, your brain will protect that limit.
So this weekend, try something specific. Choose one belief you have about yourself.
Ask: “What evidence might I be ignoring?”Not to attack yourself. But to balance the lens.
Because growth doesn’t require changing your whole identity, sometimes it just requires widening your evidence.
Let me leave you with this: Your brain is very good at proving you right. Make sure you’re right about the right things.
Thank you for being here today, and before I go, just a reminder that tomorrow at 12 pm New York time, we have a Free Speaking Club, a space open to everyone where we can meet and practice our spoken English. Just click the link in the description, and I’ll be very happy to meet you there