Motivated reasoning

Biological Parallel

Male elephant seals interpret ambiguous signals from females as receptive—motivated reasoning favors interpretations that serve reproductive goals. A marginal social cue becomes 'invitation' when the alternative (rejection) threatens reproductive success. The mechanism: goals bias evidence interpretation. Organisms aren't neutral observers; survival and reproduction create directional motivation. What you want to be true shapes what you perceive as true. Evolution didn't optimize for objective reality; it optimized for fitness-enhancing beliefs.