Have you ever noticed that the YouTube algorithm seems to know exactly what you want to hear?
You're frustrated with your progress.
You feel like grammar is a wall you just can't climb.
And suddenly, your feed is full of videos saying things like, You don't need grammar.
Learn English while you sleep.
How I became fluent in 30 days.
It feels like a relief, doesn't it?
But today, I'm going to tell you something uncomfortable.
That relief you're feeling?
It isn't progress.
It's a psychological trap called confirmation bias.
It is one of the main reasons why thousands of learners stay stuck in what I call the intermediate purgatory for years.
In this video, we're going to look at the history of why your brain wants to be lied to, how the algorithm is keeping you in a fluency bubble, and why you need to be very, very skeptical of who is giving you advice here on the platform, especially when it sounds a little too perfect, a little too good to be true.
Look, this isn't a modern internet or social media problem.
This is a fundamental glitch in the human brain.
The ancient Greek historian Thucydides noticed it in the 5th century BC.
He was one of the first to notice that phenomenon.
He said humans have a habit of entrusting to careless hope what they long for.
Basically what he means here is that we believe what we want to be true because it feels better than the reality.
Then, in the 1600s, the philosopher Francis Bacon wrote that once a human mind adopts an opinion, it will twist everything else just to support it.
Even if the evidence says you're wrong, your brain will find a way to ignore it, so you don't have to feel defeated.
Then we have the Watson factor.
In 1960, psychologist Peter Wasson officially named this phenomenon.
He coined the term confirmation bias.
He proved that we don't actually look for the truth.
We look for yes-men.
We look for information that tells us we are right.
And this is exactly where many students fail.
They look for teachers who act as yes-men, teachers who tell them that English is fast and easy and effortless.
If you are ready to break that cycle, if you are tired of yes-men and you want a roadmap that actually demands something from you, then you need to check out my app, the B2Edge.
I built this app to be the truth in a sea of lies.
It is designed specifically for the learner who is ready to move from B1 to B2 and beyond.
And because I want to help you take that first step, we are running a special deal this month, starting today.
From now until February 17th, you can get 20% off your subscription to the B2Edge app.
This is your chance to commit to the methods that actually worked for me when I was learning English in my home country.
The link to claim your 20% discount is in the description.
Don't let your bias talk you out of a real solution.
Now, let's get back to how the algorithm is manipulating your progress.
When you take Peter Wasson's research and feed it to a YouTube algorithm, you get a dangerous situation.
The algorithm doesn't care if you learn English.
It only cares if you stay here on the platform for as long as possible.
So if you click on one shortcut, easy English video, it's going to serve you 10 more of those.
This creates an echo chamber.
And then you stop seeing the hard stuff, the fanatics, the deep reading, the complex structures, because they look like work.
You get stuck in a bubble where the truth can't reach you.
And let's be honest about some of the creators behind this content.
On YouTube, as you know, views are currency.
There's a whole industry of attention merchants out there selling you shortcuts and easy paths they didn't even use themselves.
And be careful, because it's often a very young person living abroad, with a beautiful background, telling you how natural and effortless and easy English is.
Be skeptical.
Many times, these people are not educators.
They are just people living abroad who realized that quick English tips is the easiest way to finance their lifestyle.
They have no pedagogical background.
They have no understanding of how an adult brain processes a second language.
They are selling you a vibe.
They are selling you entertainment, but not a method.
They are the bait for your confirmation bias.
To prove my point, let's do a little challenge.
I'm going to show you now a paragraph about the topic of success.
Inside are five fixed expressions that advanced speakers of English use every single day.
If you've only been watching easy English videos, filling these gaps might be a struggle.
So here's the text.
Pause the video if you need to and think of one word to fill in the gaps.
All right, let me give you the answer.
Here it is.
Building a successful career takes time.
You have to be patient as you gradually get the hang of it.
It's always tempting to cut corners to get results faster, but that's how you build a foundation.
You might see a peer reach a goal before you and feel like they beat you to it, but your path is unique.
True leaders know how to read between the lines of a situation, while the average person is happy to just scratch the surface of their potential.
So, how did you do?
If you got all five correct, congratulations.
Seriously, it shows you have moved past the absolute basics of English.
But here's my warning to you.
Don't let those five answers become your next confirmation bias.
These expressions are just a drop in the ocean.
If you stop here because you feel good about yourself, you're falling right back into the trap of comfort.
Now, If you didn't get all five, don't feel discouraged.
That's fine.
Instead, feel enlightened.
This is the evidence you needed.
The easy methods you've been following are failing you.
Missing these answers is the first step toward real fluency.
Because now, you know better where the gap is.
Remember, you don't need easier content.
You don't need content telling you things you want to hear.
You need better, effective content.
So the next time you see a thumbnail promising a shortcut, remember the confirmation bias.
Remember that your brain wants the easy path.
Your brain wants to be lied to.
But your goals are not there.
They are on the hard path.
If you're ready to stop scratching the surface and you want to join a community that does the real work necessary to get to C1.
Download the B2Edge today.
Remember, the 20% off deal only lasts until February 17th.
So don't wait until the price goes back up to start the work you should have started months ago.
Thank you so much for hanging out with me today.
I'm Thiago.
I'm signing off.
I hope this video was also a wake up call for you, just like last week's video.
By the way, if you haven't seen last week's video, I highly recommend you watch it.
I'm going to leave it pinned here somewhere for you to check out right after this one.
I'm also looking forward to seeing your comments here under this video, but There are some rules about the comment section.
Let me explain them to you right now.
First of all, ask clarifying questions.
This place, my channel, the comment section below, is a place for high-quality learning, okay?
So if you want to ask a question about the English language, about the nuance of a certain expression or preposition, feel free to ask here.
I always respond in the first 48 hours after the video is live, so I'll be here looking at the comments answering people, and if you have a question about English, feel free to drop them here in the comment section below.
Rule number two do not share your unsolicited opinion about language learning and English learning here in the comment section below.
Unless, unless you are a professional in the field.
You are an educator.
You have been teaching for many years.
You have a background in linguistics.
If you have that expertise, by all means feel free to share your thoughts, your opinions about language acquisition and language learning.
And again, I'll be here in the comment section answering your questions for the next 48 hours.
After that, I'll be taking a quick look here and there in the comments.
And if I see that some of you are not following these rules about the comment section here, I'm going to hide you in a heartbeat.
Thanks for watching again.
And if you want to keep learning, I highly recommend you check out this lesson next.
See you in the next video.
