Survivorship bias and decision-making

Survivorship bias is a phenomenon that is prevalent  across all societies independently of their population, race or industrial development. 

It happens when people focus only on successful enterprises and the failed ones. 

This selective focus only exposes us the flattering side of life while concealing the suffering, pain and failure.  

We get a warped, myopic view of human endeavours, because we don't take into account the disappointments, which often contain valuable lessons. 

Success may appear more approachable than it actually is.

During the second world war, engineers examined the aircrafts returning from combat and decided to reinforce the areas with the most bullet holes. Others pointed out that the  areas with the fewest bullet holes were the ones that needed reinforcement because damage in these areas prevented the missing aircraft from returning.
Understanding the concept behind the survivorship bias helps us make better decisions. It encourages us to consider both successes and failures when evaluating evidence.

It urges us to inquire whether information about unsuccessful enterprises have been excluded from the data. 

By looking at the full picture rather than the visible successes, we can make more accurate decisions, and avoid drawing conclusions based on false or partial data.