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Don’t Believe Everything You Think
Just because you think something is true doesn’t make it true. Just because you keep uncovering “evidence” that confirms your belief doesn’t make it true. Just because a whole lot of people you know think the same way you do doesn’t make it true.
There are lots of examples confirming the above, but perhaps none so compelling as the O. J. Simpson trial. Even if you weren’t a media junkie during those 24/7 media-driven days, you had to be aware of what was going on. And the evidence that stood out for you was largely dependent upon the beliefs that you already had.
If you “knew” he was guilty, you played up the car chase, the DNA evidence, the infamous bloody glove. If you “knew” he was innocent, you played up “if the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit”, the racist detective, the shoddy police work.
When the verdict was announced, many people were stunned. How could that be so?
Well, how could it be so that a substantial number of smokers still don’t believe that smoking is harmful to their health?
And how could it be so that some people “know” that health care reform is a government takeover program (a horrible thing), while others “know” that the proposed government health care reform is the best way to go.
And how could it be so that literally thousands of eye witnesses “know” that this guy is the perpetrator, then years later DNA proves otherwise.
And some people absolutely “know” that there is a God and others “know” just as surely that there is no God.
Clearly folks, we are not neutral bystanders. We have beliefs – even when we don’t recognize that we have them. And we have a strong tendency to pay more attention to the evidence, the slogans and the other people who agree with our beliefs. That’s why liberals tune into Jon Stuart while conservatives tune into Rush Limbaugh. And liberals read the editorials in the NY Times while conservatives read the editorials in the Wall St. Journal.
Our tendency to give importance to “evidence” that supports our belief, and dismiss “evidence” that runs counter to our belief is called “confirmation bias”. And since we tend to hang around others who think as we do, our beliefs become reinforced. No wonder itE2s difficult for us to change our beliefs - even when they are in error.
And in case you believe that it’s only “stupid” people who have a confirmation bias, know that heads of state are notorious for continuing to fight a war way after it’s obvious to others that it’s a lost cause; that scientists often retain beliefs about the efficacy of their pet projects long after the evidence is stacked against them; that well-educated parents are certain about how to raise their children, even when others view their child as floundering.
So, what’s a person to do? Are we doomed to fool ourselves, no matter how educated we are? To a certain extent, yes; confirmation bias has a strong pull. However, there’s a huge difference between someone who ridicules, shouts down and name-calls those who believe differently and someone who honestly takes the time to hear, consider and evaluate alternative points of view.
Copyright 2009: Linda Sapadin, Ph.D. is a psychologist in private practice who specializes in helping individuals, families and couples overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior.
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