#AvailabilityBias

Availability bias shapes everyday decisions in Thailand, from schooling choices to health care and commuting during the rainy season. People tend to rely on information that is easiest to recall rather than the most relevant data. This mental shortcut, also known as the availability heuristic, influences judgment in subtle and powerful ways.

When Thai news repeatedly highlights certain events, like dengue outbreaks, parents may overestimate their child’s risk even if local numbers show a lower incidence. Such shortcuts help in routine tasks but can produce systematic errors in judgment.

Every day, people in Thailand—like in many countries—make decisions, big and small, often based on the information that comes most readily to mind. Whether it’s choosing a school, selecting healthcare options, or even deciding which road to take during rainy season, human judgment is rarely as objective as we might assume. One powerful but often unnoticed force at play is “availability bias,” a psychological phenomenon that shapes thinking and behavior based on the information most easily recalled, rather than all relevant facts [Simply Psychology], [Encyclopedia Britannica].