The Truth About?Bias

Discover the Science of?Bias

If you don't think you're biased, you probably are. Bias in the realm of our short tours on Earth is one of the blind spots we discover as we trudge the road of destiny together.

“As we trudge?, we judge people, places, and?things.”?— Anonymous

We judge based on how our brains often rely on mental shortcuts called "heuristics." These shortcuts can be helpful, but they can also lead us into making mistakes or holding onto biases.?

Understanding these mental tricks can help us become better thinkers, make smarter decisions, and be more fair in seeing the world and others.

What Are Heuristics?

Heuristics are invisible cheat codes the human brain uses to quickly solve problems without digging deep into heavy thinking. Imagine you're in a grocery store, looking at tons of cereal boxes.?

Instead of reading all the nutrition facts, you might grab the one you remember from a funny commercial. That’s just one example. Heuristics are “rules of thumb” we use to navigate life as we make choices and judgments.

Why Should We?Care?

The good thing is that heuristics save us time. We can't analyze every decision in life; we'd never get anything done! But, like a shortcut that leads you down a dead-end street, heuristics can also lead us to biases or mistakes.?

Imagine that heuristics are like the GPS of our minds. They guide us through the labyrinth of daily choices, helping us decide everything from what to have for breakfast to whether or not we should take an umbrella. We can make decisions in a snap by relying on these mental shortcuts, giving us the precious gift of time.

However, not all shortcuts are foolproof. Heuristics can misguide us, veiling our judgments with biases or even leading us into outright errors. They're like a compass that sometimes points true north but can occasionally lead us astray.

This is why it's crucial to be conscious of when and how we use these mental shortcuts. We should question them, especially when making significant decisions that could have long-lasting impacts on our lives. Imagine you're buying a car or choosing a college.?

Common Types of Heuristics and?Biases

The number of identified heuristics is challenging to pinpoint, as the study of heuristics is an evolving field within psychology and cognitive science. Researchers like Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky have popularized some of the most commonly cited heuristics, such as the "availability heuristic," "representativeness heuristic," and "anchoring."?

However, many more have been studied, each with its nuances and specific applications. Here's a high-level view of the big three heuristics.

1. Availability Heuristic. This happens when you judge something based on examples that quickly come to mind. If you've recently heard stories about shark attacks, you might think swimming in the ocean is super risky, even if those incidents are rare.
2. Confirmation Bias. Here, you only focus on things that back up your own opinions or beliefs. You love video games and think they're beneficial. You're more likely to notice articles that talk about the positive impacts of gaming and ignore ones that say otherwise.
3. Anchoring. This is the first piece of information you get. If someone tells you a phone was $1,000 but is now on sale for $800, you feel like you're getting a great deal, even if the phone is not worth that much.

Real-World Consequences

Let's review the most prevalent consequences when we see heuristics in action:

1. In a courtroom. Jurors might lean on stereotypes or gut feelings to quickly decide if someone is guilty or innocent. This can be especially harmful if these judgments are based on someone's appearance or background rather than the actual evidence.
2. In healthcare. Doctors often have to make quick decisions, especially in emergencies. While experience guides them, they might also rely on heuristics to diagnose a patient based on what is commonly associated with specific symptoms. This can lead to misdiagnosis if a patient's condition doesn't fit the typical mold.
3. In education. Teachers sometimes use heuristics when grading students or assessing their abilities. If a student performs poorly at the beginning of the year, the teacher might subconsciously expect poor performance throughout the rest of the year, potentially overlooking improvements.
4. In relationships. Think about how often we make snap judgments about people we meet. Whether it's a new classmate or a stranger on the street, we often use heuristics to quickly categorize them as friendly, dangerous, trustworthy, etc., which might only sometimes be fair or accurate.
5. In consumer behavior. When shopping, we use price as a heuristic for quality. For example, we might assume that a more expensive product is better than a cheaper one, which is only sometimes valid. Marketers know this and often use pricing strategies to influence their choices.
6. Politics. Voters often rely on heuristics to decide which candidate to support. They might focus on a single issue or a candidate's charisma, ignoring other crucial factors like experience or policy positions. This can result in voting for someone who may need to be more qualified for the job.
7. News and media. When swamped with information, we often use heuristics to decide what news to consume and trust. This can lead us to only read headlines without delving into the full story or stick with sources confirming our existing beliefs, reinforcing our biases.

Understanding the real-world impacts of heuristics helps us realize how pervasive these mental shortcuts shape our decisions and judgments.?

It's not just a topic for psychologists to study but something we encounter daily. By becoming aware of these tendencies, we can strive to make more thoughtful, informed choices in various aspects of our lives.

So, What Can We?Do?

1. Be more self-aware. Recognizing that our brains like to take shortcuts is the first step to making better decisions.
2. Slow down, take your time. If a decision is essential, it's okay to slow down and think it through. What other info might you be missing?
3. Challenge yourself. Ask if there's another way to look at the situation or if your initial thoughts might be influenced by bias.
4. Look for similarities more than differences. It's easy to focus on differences. Imagine if we all looked for similarities and accepted the differences. We'd know world peace!
5. Let go of control. As a recovering control freak myself, let go and let whomever or whatever you call your higher power run the show.

The bottom line is we can choose to improve. The more we understand our thoughts, the better choices we'll make. The next time you find yourself making a quick judgment, take a moment to consider whether your brain is using a handy shortcut or leading you down a less helpful path.?

Understanding these mental shortcuts can set you up for a lifetime of better decision-making. So go ahead, dive in; your future self will be grateful!

And let's do better at getting along, especially with the people who bother us the most. Loving all that is could be the most significant human accomplishment of all.

Sources:

• Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. "Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases," Science, 185(4157), 1124–1131 (1974).
• Nickerson, R. S. "Confirmation Bias: A Ubiquitous Phenomenon in Many Guises," Review of General Psychology, 2(2), 175–220 (1998).
• Koehler, Derek J., and Nigel Harvey, eds. "Blackwell Handbook of Judgment and Decision Making." Blackwell Publishing, 2004.
• Gilovich, Thomas, Dale Griffin, and Daniel Kahneman, eds. "Heuristics and Biases: The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment." Cambridge University Press, 2002.
• Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. "Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases," Science, 185(4157), 1124–1131 (1974).

This article was originally published on Medium.