Even expert decision makers who should know better can fall into the trap of anchoring. That’s the cognitive bias where our minds assign too much weight to information that is easily accessible but unfortunately irrelevant. Anchoring can prove costly in negotiations and key financial decisions. In the Harvard Business Review, Reboot President Helen Lee Bouygues breaks down how better research and critical thinking can help counter this bias.

In an interview with Skeptical Inquirer magazine, Reboot President Helen Lee Bouygues reflects on what it means to be a true critical thinker. From outlining her SHARP Thinking method, to discussing why the foundation advocates critical thinking be taught across the K-12 curriculum, Helen explains why critical thinking is a paramount skill for modern times, and why she believes that society must prioritize critical thinking in our education systems, at all levels, including continuing education for adults.

Reboot President Helen Lee Bouygues appeared on Bloom TV to discuss why social media’s detrimental effects on users’ mental health and decision making should be treated like a public health crisis. With clear evidence about social media’s role in spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories, and research showing a link to higher rates of depression and other mental health problems, it is past time for public health officials to act.

Our brains are wired for certain biases such negativity bias (which prods us to give greater credence to negative information) and the confirmation bias (which leads us to look for news that confirms our pre-existing ideas). In an interview with ABC’s WFAA Channel 8 in Dallas, Reboot President Helen Lee Bouygues outlines critical thinking steps we can take to overcome our cognitive biases.

The Reboot Foundation suggests parents keep an eye on their children’s social media use in the New Year, and gives tips and pointers on how users can improve their media literacy by keeping their emotions in check when reading the news and by questioning the sources cited articles.