The Value of Outsmarting Your Cognitive Biases

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s something you can begin doing to increase your choices and give you more options in life.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s simple (not necessarily easy, but you can start now) — it’s to challenge your biases.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We all have beliefs (biases) that we believe. Beliefs are often those things we believe just because — we don’t personally know they’re true, but we</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">believe</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">them to be true. And it’s those beliefs that affect the choices we make and how we live our lives. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our cognitive biases are unconscious. They’re beliefs that are running in the background of our minds, influencing how we live. Maybe we believe them because we trusted the source of the belief or because of an event or circumstance. To throw fuel on the fire, our unconscious mind filters our experiences and brings to our consciousness experiences that confirm — you guessed it — our biases, further cementing those beliefs.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you automatically discount the perspective of those who believe differently from you, you’re likely to have a cognitive bias about those specific areas. You may fall prey to cognitive bias if you’re loyal to a particular brand when you haven’t even tried the alternatives. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s worth it to challenge your cognitive biases because doing so can open up to you a world of choices. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Explore your cognitive biases, starting with these questions.</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">How do I know that what I know is “truth”? Did it come from a trusted caregiver or authority figure? Where am I getting information that confirms the belief?</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weig