Confirmation Bias?

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

ophiuchus

Lifer
Mar 25, 2016
1,650
2,501
You know ... if an illuminating review coaxes me into enjoying something more than I would have otherwise, I'm fine with that. :puffy:

 

lawdawg

Lifer
Aug 25, 2016
1,792
3,812
I don't believe I am very susceptible to confirmation bias. If I don't like it, I don't like it, and if I hope or expect to taste something, but my experience differs from my expectation, then that's how it is. This can lead to unpopular opinions like not caring for Black Frigate and preferring a $28.00 bottle of Elijah Craig to the rare Pappy Van Winkle 15 year.
However, I have found that once I became comfortable judging things for myself, despite preconceived expectations, life got a lot easier :puffy:

 

yaddy306

Lifer
Aug 7, 2013
1,372
505
Regina, Canada
If you want some good examples of confirmation bias, then read the reviews of McClelland Honeydew on tobaccoreviews.com. Lots of people apparently can faintly detect a "melon" flavor because of the name.

 

lawdawg

Lifer
Aug 25, 2016
1,792
3,812
Or lemon virginias, which are named for their color, tasting like lemons.
I don't believe I've heard of a "lemon Virginia" but I will say I certainly taste a note of citrus in many of the brighter Virginias I've smoked. Grassy hay, a bit of earthiness, some general sweetness, and a hint of citrus seems to be the overall flavor profile.

 

lawdawg

Lifer
Aug 25, 2016
1,792
3,812
One non-tobacco-related confirmation bias I've noticed, which has irked me to no end lately, is that people have now decided that men's suits should fit a man like yoga pants, and view this as a good and flattering fit!
(Mostly younger) men are wearing suits, sport coats, and trousers so short and tight that they literally look like Peewee Herman. Notably, Peewee Herman's suit was intended to be comically ill-fitting and small, like a child growing out of a too-small suit, yet Peewee's suit is actually baggier than some of the more daring on-trend cuts today. The reason this irritates me is because so many manufacturers are catering to this trend that it is getting increasingly difficult to find suits / business attire that fits in a manner appropriate for the professional world, without being super baggy and shapeless. Even finding a good pair of khakis these days that are 100% cotton, with no spandex, is getting harder. If you don't like the cut from the handful of manufacturers that still make them in 100% cotton, then you're out of luck.
EDIT: I realize the above suit cut preferance might not necessarily be a confirmation bias. My thought is that people are getting this idea that because a few skinny models look good in these slim cuts, and that the skinny suit look is all over the place in advertising, then they themselves should also wear, and will look good in, a skinny suit, when in fact, a slightly more traditional cut, I believe, is objectively more flattering to the average male physique.

 

lawdawg

Lifer
Aug 25, 2016
1,792
3,812
1hAUjnb.png

:roll:
Somewhat like the parable of the Emperor's New Clothes, the emperor is in this case actually wearing new clothes... they are just far too tight!
Compare the above goofiness to a classic, middle-of-the-road fit depicted in this 1960's advertisement:
QUj4D7w.png

Gotta really build up a person's expectations to make them think that the current short-and-tight suit cuts are going to look good, and look more flattering on the body than an "outdated" classic cut!

 

mikefu

Lifer
Mar 28, 2018
1,976
10,506
Green Bay
That first suit picture reminds me of some advice my friend's grandpa gave him while in high school. He was a skater kid, and his grandpa was a tough-as-nails old rancher. upon seeing my friend's baggy jeans, he discreetly pulled him aside from a family gathering and told him "Son, if you want to be a hit with the ladies, you need to go get yourself a pair of nice, tight fitting Wranglers. The ones what show your bulge."

 
Status
Not open for further replies.