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The Fundamental Attribution Error

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The Fundamental Attribution Error is a bias that causes us to overemphasise characteristics and underestimate situational factors when explaining how people behave. In simpler terms, it means we tend to attribute someone's actions to their personality or character traits, rather than considering the context and external factors that might be influencing their behaviour.

This bias can REALLY affect how we date and our dating decisions. If affects how we judge based on their online profiles and when we match. For example, if someone doesn't respond to a message right away or makes a typo / uses incorrect grammar, we might think they are careless. However, it's important to consider the many possible reasons why someone might not respond immediately, such as having dyslexia or simply not seeing the message! Everyone makes mistakes. We should always think of the underlying situational factors, rather than snap judgements about who they are as a person.

When we view someone's online profile, we often make assumptions about their personality based on their photos, interests, and bios. However, it's essential to remember that online profiles are curated versions of ourselves, and they may not reflect the complexity and nuances of our true personalities - which lets be honest, are so multi-faceted and INTERESTING, OBVS. We should always be open-minded and give people a chance to show their true selves through interactions, conversations and real life. At Mattr we know that we are prone to biases when it comes to dating. Thats why we are the dating app that is all about keeping it real and dating different.

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