Belief perseverance: why we cling on to old ideas

1. First, self-impressions, which are beliefs about yourself, such as “beliefs about your athletic skills, musical talents, ability to get along with others, or even body image.”
2. The second involves social impressions, which are beliefs about specific other people, such as “beliefs about your best friend, mother, or least favourite teacher.”
3. Finally, the third type is called naive theories — these are beliefs about how the world works, including beliefs about the causes of war or poverty, stereotypes about teenagers, lawyers or other cultures, and any other social theories.

If we cling to false beliefs, we risk causing harm to ourselves and those around us. Some of the adverse effects:

• People with negative belief perseverance about their social abilities may avoid interpersonal interactions, resulting in mental disorders.
• Employees with belief perseverance in their superior skills may fail to request the needed assistance when faced with a given challenge.
• Dangerous decisions may be made because of a belief in perseverance in one’s ability to manage risk.

The only way to somehow manage belief perseverance is to become aware of it.

The next step is to increase your self-awareness about your beliefs and where they come from. If you want to increase your self-awareness and challenge your beliefs about yourself and others, ask yourself these five questions:

• What beliefs do I have about myself and my abilities?
• What assumptions do I hold about other people?
• Where did these beliefs come from?  
• Are the beliefs I hold about myself and others accurate?
• What experiences have I had that counter these beliefs?

Our minds are prone to cognitive biases that may discord the way we consider these questions. Our need for coherence, combined with cognitive biases, make it very difficult to unlearn our false beliefs. Trusted friends or colleagues can help jog your memory to moderate the availability bias, the confirmation bias, and stay clear of illusory correlations.

Awareness and self-reflection are the best ways to address this phenomenon. Questioning our false beliefs can help us all grow and better achieve our goals.