Don’t Let Bias Creep In

We regularly receive 11 million bits of information at any one time and our brain can process only about 40. Ninety nine percent of these cues are processed unconsciously by our brains. Bias is a result of the mental shortcuts our brain uses to process at this speed. One problem is when we process unconsciously, it’s really fast, which often makes it feel intuitive. The key is to check that.?

Action: Every time you recognize that you have an immediate gut reaction to someone, question it. Look for at least two (but preferably three) pieces of evidence that may contradict your automatic reaction. Ask yourself whether you would have had the same reaction if someone else had engaged in the same behavior.

This story explains how our brains contribute to unconscious bias.?

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anais Nin