Recency bias is the overemphasis on recent experiences. For example, I never really noticed pickup trucks. I saw them, but couldn’t tell one brand from another, figured they were used by contractors. But my wife suggested that we but a pickup truck to haul the dogs around to the vet, grooming, and local trips they enjoyed, and also to use for her garden needs and holiday decorations, etc. Suddenly, I saw pickup truck everywhere and started to understand the differences. I was astounded at how many there were and the varieties and options. (The best-selling vehicles in the US are the Ford F-series pickups.)

When someone coughs during an otherwise quiet symphony or theatrical performance, others start coughing, as if reminded that they need to do so, even though they hadn’t been coughing before. (One famous conductor in New York—where else?—stopped a performance and told everyone who had to cough to do so now, because if it happened again he would leave. In a Broadway preview I watched an actor admonished the audience: “Okay, that’s enough of that!”

We sometimes meet with a prospect or go out with friends without a tabula rosa, in that we are under the influence of something we’ve recently heard, seen, or otherwise experienced. Yet, these days, that information we ingested is often incorrect, not validated, and can ruin the encounter.

“Trust but verify” is a Russian proverb made famous when a Russian expert mentioned it to President Regan. It’s pretty good advice. I didn’t just buy that pickup, I hired a “car concierge” who was expert in pickups to help me.