“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.” — Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize–winning physicist

Human beings are preprogrammed to have confirmation bias and seek information that backs up their numerous life theses. This isn’t meant to be a disparaging remark, but rather a scientific observation. Our brains are still relatively primitive in that we seek friends and run from foes, and when information goes against our predetermined beliefs, it is hard not to consider it a foe.

It is easy to treat feelings as facts: “Real estate was the right industry to get in because ...” “Living in this city is good because …” “My presidential candidate is morally superior because …” Whether we are talking about politics, investing or physics, most people are naturally inclined to find information that backs up their perspective as opposed to disproving it.

Scientists li