What is the difference between hindsight bias and confirmation bias?

Hindsight bias and confirmation bias are two different types of cognitive bias that can lead to errors of judgment by influencing our perceptions.

Hindsight bias occurs when we feel that an outcome was more predictable than it really was. Once we know what actually happened, it becomes more difficult to recognise the possibility of alternative outcomes. The knowledge we have now makes us reflect on the past in a biased way.

Confirmation bias, on the other hand, occurs when we select and recall information through the filter of our personal values and beliefs. We are biased toward facts and explanations that agree with what we already believe to be true.

So, hindsight bias is a process that updates our past thoughts and beliefs on the basis of new information. But confirmation bias is a process that aligns our thoughts and beliefs to agree with what we already think.