Post by ashliy on Jan 3, 2017 15:04:49 GMT
When interacting with others, especially when the interaction is not going well, there are typically three versions of so-called reality: the way you see it, they way they see it and the way it is. Of course, the third version is the only reality. So why do the other two versions exist?
One of the main reasons this occurs is because of something behavioral scientists call confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is a form of selective thinking that causes humans to favor and interpret any new information in ways that confirm their existing beliefs. The key word here is “interpret.”
President John Adams once said that “facts are stubborn things” and they are. But problems, and alternate versions of the facts, arise when people get facts confused with interpretations. Unfortunately, our brains are better at interpreting reality rather than simply observing reality.
Let’s consider sight. Humans do not really see things as a camera lens sees them. In the case of a camera, the lens gathers light from the outside world and projects the exact image it “sees” into the inside world of the camera so it can be processed and converted into a photograph. The outside world image and the image created on the inside of the camera are identical. Not so with human sight. Your eyes also are light gathering devices, but that’s where the analogy between the camera and your eyesight ends.
Basically, your eyes convert incoming light waves into electrical signals, neural impulses. These signals are sent to your occipital lobe (located in the rear area of your brain). That’s when things get a bit complicated. These signals are then sent to as many as 30 or more areas of the brain for “analysis.” Different areas evaluate color, size and other features of the outside world image. Then the signal taps into memories related to similar images that were processed by your brain in the past. That’s when confirmation bias kicks in, takes over the “seeing” process, and begins distorting the facts.
Think about it. You do not really see things as a camera sees them; you actually reconstruct external events inside your brain. Therefore, people with different past experiences and memories observe the same thing and end up experiencing different versions of reality: the way I see it, the way you see it and the way it is.
Confirmation bias is also why groups with similar backgrounds (think our most recent election) see things a certain way with such incredible certainty and other groups with dissimilar backgrounds see things so differently with similar certainty. Both groups are seeing the same set of facts and reconstructing their “reality” based on their biases.
So, what can one do about this dilemma?
You can get in the habit of trying to reconstruct other people’s reality with whom you disagree. You do not have to agree with their version of reality; you just need to understand it. If you want to maintain any hope of reconciling your differences, you must understand with some level of detail where the gaps in your interpretation/reconstruction exist.
Another thing you can do is develop the habit of asking yourself: What would the lens of a camera (with no occipital lobe) observe in this situation?
Let me ask you a simple question. Do you want to be successful and a lifelong learner? If so, think long and hard about the following two statements:
Among a group of people, the most successful person is usually the person whose beliefs correspond most closely with reality.
No new learning takes place, or no lasting change in behavior occurs, unless you disrupt some of your current, and often strongly held, beliefs.
Susceptibility to confirmation bias is not a good thing. It is a good use of your time to work on minimizing or eliminating it.
