You, Me And Confirmation Bias: The Truth

Have you ever found yourself reading an article or news story, and immediately believing it to be true even though there’s no evidence to back it up? If so, then you’ve likely fallen victim to what’s known as confirmation bias. In this blog post, I’ll discuss what confirmation bias is, why it’s so dangerous, and how you can learn to overcome it. Read on to find out more!

What is Confirmation Bias?

Confirmation Bias is a phenomenon, where people tend to seek out information that agree with their existing beliefs and discount anything else presented to them.

This type of psychological thinking can prevent people from being open to alternative ideas, options, and solutions. It’s important to proactively check our cognitive biases in order to ensure we are not unknowingly limiting our potential for personal and professional growth.

?It's important to be aware of this self-reinforcing cycle, so we can make sure we're considering all the relevant facts before drawing a conclusion.

Not only does this lead to close-mindedness, it also hampers an individual's ability to be objective in decision-making. This has serious implications that affect not just one person's life but ?all the stakeholders who get affected by the decisions that stem out of confirmation bias.

?Understanding Confirmation Bias in Human Psychology

It can lead to people making decisions based on incomplete or false information which can have an adverse effect on critical decision-making processes. Understanding the potential impact of confirmation bias is key in helping people remain open minded and make informed decisions

Confirmation bias can be a barrier to professional growth, as it limits our ability to consider alternative perspectives and learning opportunities. When we only look for information that confirms our current beliefs, we miss out on the chance to expand our knowledge and build on our existing skillsets. This cognitive bias can inhibit us from challenging ourselves and growing in a meaningful way, both professionally and personally.

It is one of the most common phenomena , and it can be seen in a variety of aspects in our lives. From what media we consume to the opinions we form, confirmation bias plays a large role as people reinforce their existing beliefs.

For example, if ?you believe teams need to be constantly monitored and can’t be trusted ?or this method worked well in the your last company, you will unknowingly micromanage every aspect of your project/product. Those fancy excel/tool dashboards you have for tracking team, work , risks, financial are the affirmations that ?you resort to every other hour to confirm ?your bias.

This doesn’t imply you should not have these KPI trackers, but do not let the bias creep in for a ?simple ?decisions. A decision ?as simple as sanctioning a new ?time-off for a team member who is avails maximum number of paid leaves can be biased too ?.

?Reasons for Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is a common human phenomenon – we all have the tendency to look for and interpret information in a way that confirms our existing beliefs or opinions. It is an important concept in psychology and can occur on both an individual and collective level.

This phenomenon is especially true in regards to leadership; for example, someone who holds a strong opinion about a certain style of leadership will only pay attention to stories and anecdotes that confirm their beliefs while ignoring those with alternative perspectives.

Now that explains why your boss is the way he is…

One of the most evident examples of this phenomenon can be seen in professional world when there is a change/addition of new leadership roles in any organization.

Here is the scenario, a new guy with some fancy title joins your company and ?coming out of ?“intro-meeting” ?you are sensing ?that this person already believes there is a mess and workforce is just wasting company’s dollars. In a week or so, you start getting “orders” to change the way things are being done.

While change is the only constant and status-quo needs to be shaken and realigned, however there is no point in re-inventing the wheel and confirmation bias not only leads to a re-invent, at times it ends up in disastrous outcomes. Recent twitter debacle is a great example .( Bias : Only long hours , authoritative leadership and “ this circus needs a?strong ringmaster” mindset can take this firm to newer heights. ??)

.Negative Effects of Confirmation Bias

When it comes to human psychology, confirmation bias can create an issue when it comes to decision making. This is because people tend to search for, interpret and remember information in such a way that confirms what they already believe. As a result, they may make decisions based on incomplete or inaccurate information due to this subconscious tendency towards confirmation bias. It is important to keep this in mind when making decisions as it could lead down the wrong path if not appropriately checked.

It can also cause people to ignore evidence or facts that contradict their existing beliefs, creating a cognitive bias. This type of skewed thinking can result in poor decision-making based on false assumptions and illogical conclusions. In such cases, it is important to challenge our beliefs by looking for alternative perspectives and considering different points of view.

Strategies to Overcome Confirmation Bias

Acknowledge Bias

It is essential to acknowledge that confirmation bias exists in human psychology and be mindful of it when forming your own beliefs. Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, focus on, and remember information which confirms or aligns with one's existing beliefs or values..

Recognize Bias

Recognizing this phenomenon can help you be aware of any potential bias or prejudice when making decisions so that you can form more accurate judgments without the interference of biased thinking.

One of the simplest ways to recognize bias : anything that makes you uncomfortable , someone’s viewpoint, a belief that is being challenged or a moral value that you have firmly believed to be true your whole life and under attack now?are strong signals that you just encountered a confirmation bias scenario

Get away from Bias

This requires breaking away from any tendencies to only accept information which aligns with our pre-existing beliefs.

It is important to take time to seek out evidence that challenges your existing views in order to broaden your understanding.

Doing so will help us become less prone to believing only what confirms our initial beliefs and this helps ?to strengthen our creativity and critical thinking skills, allowing us greater insights that can benefit our professional careers

Take Control of Your Thoughts and Beliefs

Professional growth is inherently linked to this since it is largely influenced by the thoughts and beliefs we have developed over time. In order to thrive professionally, we must be conscious of the way our past has shaped us and take steps towards using that knowledge to grow in a positive direction.

By recognising our own thoughts and beliefs, we can take control of how we react to different situations. By actively choosing how to respond, we take a proactive step towards managing our lives in a way that serves us best - enabling us to grow, evolve and realise greater happiness.

?Adopt “No Bias Rule:

Reframing issues in various ways enables an individual to gain a deeper insight and better comprehension of the situation. This can be applied in group decision-making, as well as individual scenarios, to increase understanding and resolution of any issue. With a better grasp on the psychology around us, leaders can effectively manage their teams and successfully lead them forward.

Furthermore, when you are able to identify negative thinking and eliminate it from your life, you can begin to focus on the positives. Cultivating positive thinking and self-beliefs is a powerful way to create new opportunities for yourself and improve your overall mental health.

?In conclusion, confirmation bias can be dangerous if we don’t recognize it and make proactive ?effort to overcome it. By learning to recognize the signs of confirmation bias, question our existing beliefs, and be more open to new information, we can become more aware of our surroundings and make more informed decisions. We must also remember that although being informed is necessary, it is not enough if we do not take action based on that knowledge.