Each of us has hundreds of cognitive and emotional shortcuts – distortions that are sometimes helpful and sometimes misleading. A classic is wishful thinking. Another is denial. We don’t face what we don’t want to face. We pretend it is not true – that we can’t see it. We tend to like people like us. We assume that other people are thinking what we are thinking. We give more credence to attractive people. Sometimes we act like sheep, going with the flow. Sometimes we are so suspicious that we won’t take anything at face value. We usually blame a person rather than a situation. We have a habit of falling into groupthink. Sometimes it is just down to laziness and lack of imagination. Sometimes it is enforced by emotionally charged political correctness. Sometimes it is imposed by the powerful to suit their own interests. Either way, it is unscientific enemy of the truth, creativity and evolution. We should continuously challenge our groupthink, our prejudices and our assumptions.