Learn English – word for when you hear what you want to hear rather than the word(s) one actually said to you

terminology

Is there a word for when you hear what you want to hear rather than the word(s) one actually said to you?

Basically, I'm imagining a Freudian slip except you don't actually say anything aloud.

Best Answer

It sounds like an example of a cognitive bias - to quote Wikipedia : (my emphasis)

A cognitive bias refers to the systematic pattern of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment, whereby inferences about other people and situations may be drawn in an illogical fashion. Individuals create their own "subjective social reality" from their perception of the input. An individual's construction of social reality, not the objective input, may dictate their behaviour in the social world. Thus, cognitive biases may sometimes lead to perceptual distortion, inaccurate judgment, illogical interpretation, or what is broadly called irrationality.

There are many different types of cognitive bias: this sounds most like a confirmation bias - "The tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one's preconceptions."

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