Ever try to convince someone of something? You can use statistics, examples and research to demonstrate how right you are, and the person you’re trying to convince becomes more and more entrenched. What in the world is wrong with him you think. It’s as plain as the proverbial nose on your face.
Plain to you maybe, but not to him.
We are incredibly conditioned to specific biases, and until we understand this, and how to tap into the conditioning behind the bias, arguments and logic will never work.
This week let’s look at one powerful bias. I’ll talk about others in the weeks to come.
Confirmation bias is one of the most difficult to challenge. When we are presented with a new idea that doesn’t conform to our belief systems and ideas, we immediately judge it wrong. According to Brian D. McLaren, who wrote a book on biases, our brains are so efficient we make judgments on information we deem wrong without giving any consideration to the merits of the information. If information doesn’t fit our paradigm it’s not even given a second thought. At the same time, we accept data quickly when it fits what we already believe; this gives us pleasure because it confirms what we think.
With that logic we cannot change someone’s opinion with our facts, passion or additional information, no matter how eloquently they’re presented. We need to understand why someone feels good (and right) holding on to a specific belief, and then from an emotional perspective, strategize how to suggest an alternative. Goes a long way in helping others see alternative ideas, and can remind us that perhaps there’s room for us to see things from a different perspective as well.
