Take for example an e-mail I received from a California firefighter who read my book about the optimism bias.

CNN: Why we fool ourselves into optimism

As a first step, it has acknowledged that the optimism bias causes individuals to underestimate the cost and duration of projects.

CNN: Why we fool ourselves into optimism

Adjustments for the optimism bias have since been factored into the budget of many UK government projects, including most recently the 2012 London Olympics.

CNN: Why we fool ourselves into optimism

Specific guidelines of how to correct for the optimism bias in appraisals were published in the British government's Green Book, which provides an overall methodology for economic assessment.

CNN: Why we fool ourselves into optimism

Information asymmetries and optimism bias are among the justifications.

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The optimism bias was not only blurring the vision of the private sector, but also of government officials, rating agencies and financial analysts who constantly expected the market to go up and up.

CNN: Why we fool ourselves into optimism

Without leaving his scientific footing, Simon developed a bias for optimism about man, knowledge, science, technological progress and the future.

FORBES: The Upside Of Optimism

Were Simon alive today, he would say that companies with a bias toward optimism and fun are better bets to seize the upside surprise.

FORBES: The Upside Of Optimism

The robots will be free of human bias and optimism, so I would expect them to do a better job of estimating budgets and timelines than humans.

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Perhaps the most misleading bias of them all is optimism, something entrepreneurs tend to have in spades.

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