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What Is Unconscious Bias (And How to Reduce It for Good)
How to Reduce Unconscious Bias
- Recognise that the unconscious bias is a systemic issue. Internal cultures need to be checked and addressed first.
- There is no shame or guilt in unconscious bias. Unconscious bias stems from our tendency to categorise people into social groups and often doesn't match our conscious values.
- It takes a series of conversations and interventions to prevent and protect against unconscious bias.
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Cognitive Bias
Cognitive Bias is a predictable pattern of mental errors where we misperceive reality and move away from the most likely way of reaching our goals.
These mental blind spots impact all areas of life. Cognitive biases have to do with judgment, not mood.
Unconscious Bias
Unconscious bias refers to unconscious forms of discrimination and stereotyping. Unconscious bias often leads to discrimination, be it deliberate or unintentional.
Unconscious bias is different from cognitive biases. Cognitive biases relate to our brains' particular wiring, while unconscious bias refers to perceptions between different groups and are specific to different societies.
How to Reduce Unconscious Bias
- Recognise that the unconscious bias is a systemic issue. Internal cultures need to be checked and addressed first.
- There is no shame or guilt in unconscious bias. Unconscious bias stems from our tendency to categorise people into social groups and often doesn't match our conscious values.
- It takes a series of conversations and interventions to prevent and protect against unconscious bias.
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Biases...
... specifically cognitive biases, are your unchecked tendencies to make decisions or take actions in an irrational way.
Instead of making decisions based on facts and data, you ...
Biases = shortcuts for processing information
The brain creates shortcuts in order to make fast decisions when it hits information or inspiration overload.
These shortcuts form unconscious biases so it’s easier for your brain to categorize information and make quick judgments over and over again.
Self-serving Bias
This means that when something good happens, you take the credit, but when something bad happens, you blame it on external factors.
Self-serving bias may manifest at work when you receive critical feedback. Instead of keeping an open mind, you may put up a defense when your manager or team member is sharing feedback or constructive criticism.
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Status quo bias
Status quo bias is when we prefer that our environment and situation should remain unchanged.
The bias has the most impact in the area of decision-making, as we tend to pre...
Common Explanations for Status Quo Bias
These explanations are all irrational for preferring the status quo:
- Loss Aversion: When we make decisions, we weigh the potential for loss more heavily than the potential for gain.
- Sunk Costs: We continue to invest resources like time, money, or effort into a specific endeavor just because we are already invested, not because it is the best choice.
- Cognitive Dissonance: In decision-making, we an option as more valuable once we have chosen it. Considering an alternative can cause cognitive dissonance.
- Mere Exposure Effect: It states that people prefer something they've been exposed to before.
- Rationality vs. Irrationality: We may choose to keep our current situation because of the potential transition cost of switching to an alternative. It becomes irrational when we ignore choices that can improve a situation because we want to maintain the status quo.
Status Quo Bias examples
- When offered several sandwich options, individuals often choose a sandwich they have eaten before.
- In 1985, Coca Cola reformulated the original Coke flavor and started selling a "New Coke." Although blind taste tests found many consumers preferred New Coke, consumers continued to buy Coke Classic. New Coke was discontinued in 1992.
- In political elections, the current candidate is more likely to win than the challenger.
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Combinatory Play
We’ve all experienced that flash of insight, that fleeting moment when a solution we’ve been grinding away at reveals itself in an unexpected place.
Einstein, for example, was known...
How The Brain Works
The brain’s building blocks are neurons: nerve cells that receive and transmit signals along neural pathways. Certain pathways are forged at birth. Others can be manipulated by learning.
So when you’re stuck in a rut, your brain’s neurons could literally be stuck on a neural pathway you’ve carved out through your behavior. But you can get unstuck by choosing to make new connections.
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