Bias is created by the flow when information enters our system and courses through the filters of our plural personalities, knowledge, and experiences. What is left at the end of this process is intelligibly unique to us, credibly varied from the input or the factual reality. Unless we consciously choose thinking over knowing, our brain comforts us with acceptable collective alchemy about “why things are the way they are”.
The possible way to rise above the limiting, although congenial, status is to consider:
Sometimes, as is an inherent part of being a person, we are wrong
Not all open-ended questions are open (see: What are the benefits? vs. What are the characteristics?)
Looking for proofs instead of facts defeats the purpose
Allowing for other possible scenarios creates complexity
Not considering other scenarios can be costly
The bias will never leave and triggers yet another question: “What do we want to see?“ Swallowed by Harvard’s library, trying to find answers to my thesis questions, I keep reminding myself: “Finding why shall be the process of discovery, not that of invention” (Sinek, 2013).
Jana
Industrial-Organizational Psychology scholar at Harvard University (in extension studies)
thanks
cool