The anchor heuristic is a shortcut in decision-making where we rely too heavily on the first piece of information we encounter—the “anchor.” This anchor influences all further judgments, even if it is irrelevant.
For instance, if the first price you see for a jacket is €300, any later price will seem cheap in comparison—even if €200 is still expensive for that item. The anchor sticks in our mind and skews our perception of value, probability, or fairness.
This heuristic works because our brain tends to grasp onto something familiar when faced with uncertainty. While it can simplify decisions, it can also make us vulnerable to manipulation in marketing, negotiations, or sales. Being aware of anchoring allows us to pause and ask, “Is this first number or fact really relevant, or am I just stuck on it?”