Psychologycalendar_todayLast updated: Apr 2026
What is Recency Bias?
/rɪˈsensi ˈbaɪəs/
A cognitive bias where you weight recent events much more heavily than older events when making decisions or judgments, even when the older information is more important. Your brain naturally assumes recent things are more relevant simply because they happened recently.
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Everyday Example
After a stock drops 10% this week, you want to sell it immediately and forget the fact it's been up 50% over the past two years.
publicReal-World Application
“Netflix's recommendation algorithm counters recency bias by still suggesting shows you loved months ago, and financial advisors specifically warn clients about this bias during market downturns to prevent panic selling.”
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Did you know?
Recency bias was formally documented by psychologists Tversky and Kahneman in the 1970s as part of their groundbreaking work on how humans deviate from rational decision-making.
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Key Insight
Your most vivid memories aren't necessarily your most important data points—yet your brain treats them as if they are.
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