---
title: Authority bias
---

## What is it about?
Authority bias is the tendency to give higher effectiveness to the opinions of people with authority.

In practice, such people are wrong just as often, as [[Nassim Nicholas Taleb]] mentions at every turn.

## How I apply [[Knowledge/Mental models/Authority bias]]
First of all, I do not recognize the concept of authority. This is an extreme approach that protects me from accepting suggestions uncritically.

**To be clear:** this has nothing to do with disrespecting people who have accomplished something. It is purely about highlighting the fact that they are still people who have the right to make mistakes (and they do).

Still, there are people in my immediate [[Knowledge/Dictionary/Surrounding]] who can be considered an authority. However, I don't look at it that way myself.

In general, the concept that someone is 'above' or 'below' doesn't appeal to me. I use the approach that 'people are different' and this makes it possible for me to talk 'as equals' with everyone. It is worth adding that this is usually received very positively.

The exceptions to this are people with very senior, corporate positions or those working in industries where hierarchy is important (such as higher education). However, I usually avoid contact with such people.