Overcome Biases

When an opinion is formed in your mind, you may begin to only see evidence that supports your opinion. This is known as bias, and it can exist in many ways (e.g. racial bias, gender bias, negativity bias). Regardless of whether your bias is directed toward other people or serves only to limit your happiness, you can overcome it. The first step is to identify your biases. Then you can choose to confront your biases and reinforce alternate ways of thinking.

Steps

Understanding Your Biases

  1. Take a test to identify bias. You can find tests online that will help you pinpoint areas in which you have formed biased opinions. Taking such a test can be a great way to learn about your implicit biases. This is the first step to overcoming them.[1]
  2. Recognize situations that make you uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable in a situation can point to a bias of some kind. Make note of any situations or people that make you feel uneasy. If there are any common threads, this points toward a biased opinion about that particular situation.[2]
    • For example, if being in a restaurant and overhearing a conversation in a language that is not English is unnerving to you, you may be biased against other cultures or immigrants in general.
  3. Understand positive bias. Most people think of biases as negative qualities that are assigned to a group of people or situations. This is not always true. A positive bias is a positive trait that is assumed to be present. Positive biases can make people feel that they are only valued for one thing. It can also damage the self esteem of someone who you assume has this positive trait, but actually doesn’t.[2]
    • For example, assuming that all Asians can do math would be a positive bias.
  4. Ask for objective opinions. Your friends, family, or spouse might spot biases that you don’t. If they try to point out that you are being closed minded or stubborn about something, listen. You can also be proactive and ask for their opinions.
    • For example, you might say something like “I am trying to become more open minded. Are there any particular issues that I seem to be biased on?”

Challenging Your Biases

  1. Observe positive role models. Surround yourself with friends who either have very few biased opinions, or consciously work to overcome them. This will help you remain aware of your own biases. It will also give you encouragement to continue to overcoming them. [2]
  2. Engage with different people or ideas. Whether you are introduced to another culture or simply new sets of ideas, you will be forced to look at things differently. This will expand your knowledge and challenge your opinions of the world around you. Even if your biases are not eliminated, they will certainly be weakened by your experiences.[2]
    • For example, spending time living around people of another culture can encourage you to make friends with some of them. Through these friends, you will learn more about the culture. Your biased opinions will begin to fall away to make room for the new, accurate information you are learning.
  3. Find common interests with others. Having common ground and common interest with another person will help to disarm biased opinions about them. Try being on a team or participating in a group with people that you have biased opinions about. If you do this often enough, you can overcome at least some of your biases.[3]
  4. Consider different perspectives. When you are looking at evidence that relates to one of your biased opinions, it is natural to see the evidence in whatever way confirms your opinion. For this reason, evidence alone is not enough. You should actively ask yourself, “What if the opposite of what I think is true?” This question will force you to look at an alternative to your biased opinion, and this technique has been shown to reduce biases.[4]
    • For example, if you hold the opinion that humans do not contribute to climate change, then you would start analyzing a different perspective by asking “What would it look like if humans did contribute to climate change?”
  5. Go against your instincts, when necessary. If your biased instincts are telling you to act a certain way, don’t listen. Instead, make an effort to do what you know to be right. This can be difficult at first, but as you get used to pushing your boundaries, you’ll be able to overcome most biases.[5]
    • For example, if you know that you have a cultural or racial prejudice, choose not to use racial slurs when referring to members of that race/culture. Instead, make a point to talk about them in a respectful way.

Reinforcing Alternate Mindsets

  1. Commit to overcoming your biases. Biased opinions are often formed in the early years of life, and they are difficult to overcome. If you want to beat your biases, you will have to commit to it as a long term goal. Make a list of any biases you identify, and create steps to work against them.[1]
    • For example, if you find that you are biased against a particular culture, try going to a restaurant that serves food from that culture.
    • Ask yourself why you feel this bias. If you can identify the roots and triggers of your biases, you will understand them and be better equipped to overcome them.
  2. Hold anti-biased thoughts longer than biased ones. Your brain is programmed to weigh negative thoughts and emotions more than positive ones. This was a survival mechanism for early humans, though it doesn’t serve us today. So regardless of what kind of bias or negative thoughts you are having, make a point to counter them by holding positive, anti-biased thoughts for a longer period of time.[6]
    • For example, from a survival standpoint, it was more beneficial for our ancestors' brains to remember something dangerous (e.g. a tiger) than something that creates pleasant feelings (e.g. a pretty flower).
  3. Make a point to notice small contradictions to your biases. When you assume that something fits in every situation or applies to every member of a group of people, you are inevitably going to see things that contradict that. Instead of ignoring or rationalizing such things, make a note of them. These contradictions help to break down your biased opinions so that your mind can move past them.[6]
    • For example, if you notice a homeless person doing work for food, make a note of the incident. This can help break down any biased thoughts about homeless people being lazy.
  4. Seek professional help when needed. If you know that you have strong biases but can’t move past them, you may need professional help. A good counselor can help you find the root of your biased opinions and give you guidance to move beyond them. They can also help you learn coping mechanisms in the meantime.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.tolerance.org/Hidden-bias
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-practice/201508/6-ways-overcome-your-biases-good
  3. ↑ https://www.fastcompany.com/3043074/how-to-thwart-your-unconscious-biases-when-hiring-a-diverse-team
  4. ↑ https://mindhacks.com/2017/02/07/how-to-overcome-bias/
  5. ↑ https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/how-to-overcome-unconscious-bias
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://daringtolivefully.com/overcoming-negativity-bias

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