Bias is defined as an inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group.
Now, these biases can be both positive & negative but we are usually unaware of most biases we have, which makes it all the more important to be able to recognise them, especially the negative ones, in both thought and action.
Lets start by understanding how we might have acquired our biases & its effects…
A lot of biases make home in our minds as a result of learnings from our cultures & the media. These biases may become a hindrance for us & may even hurt the feelings of others, for example in cases where we don’t take work opportunities because we’re biased towards not working with certain kinds of people. It could be as simple as missing on a good movie solely because of biased dislike towards an actor or as harsh as racism or discrimination.
It’s important in many of these situations that we unlearn these biases & be more open-minded to give people, things or ideas chances & also allow ourselves to form newer opinions.
So how do we do this?
First, IDENTIFY THE BIASES.
Self-reflection is key. We observe our thoughts & behaviour patterns, and question them on a regular basis. We can learn about new people, things or ideas. Talk to different people & learn about their lifestyles, their cultures. Books & movies are also a great source of information to learn more about these things. The goal here is not only assess, if our belief or behaviour has been hurtful to others, but also generally question why we believe whatever it is that we believe.
For example, one might believe that all Asians are good at math, so our goal here is to attempt to understand how we might have acquired this idea & what are our reasons to have this belief.
Our next step is to OVERCOME THE BIASES.
Once, we have a better understanding of ourselves, and why’s and the how’s of our beliefs, we can assess if we need to reassess what we might believe in, and if yes, how we are going to do it. This process is not easy, especially if biases have been present for long periods of time or are deeply ingrained due to other reasons, however, it is not an impossible task.
A great place to start would be trying to understand other people’s perspective, i.e. allowing people to express their views & having open discussions about beliefs and ideologies or simply reading about experiences of others which aren’t the same as ours. Another great exercise could be finding research-based evidence in support of opposing views, which would help us have a more well-rounded perspective as well as a better foundation for reassessment . These practices might also help us get a broader perspective & allow us to be more flexible, open-minded and accommodating.
Unlearning biases is a lifelong process but we promise it’s an enriching & rewarding one. It’s necessary that we constantly call ourselves out when we find these biases in our thought & action patterns, question & reassess our beliefs in order to keep growing as an individual.
The more you unlearn, the more you learn.
