Being the Type

But, Aren't Biases Bad?

by Robert Atwater, October 28, 2023
Various Artists

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If I told you that "happiness is a choice," would you believe me? Pause for a moment to consider what that really means. While the notion that happiness is a choice might seem true on the surface, the reality is far more complex—requiring hope, trust, forgiveness, and the embracing of attitudes that foster emotional well-being. Otherwise, wouldn't trying to "choose happiness" equate to overlooking or minimizing other valid emotions?

I bring this up to emphasize the kinds of questions we ought to ask when confronted with seemingly obvious or self-evident oversimplifications. But simple solutions with a kernel of truth are cognitively comfortable. And our natural tendency is to avoid the mental discomfort required to critically examine such claims and instead accept them at face value. But then, if an individual attempts to implement these suggestions—like attempting to choose happiness directly when there is no reason to feel happy—the effort fails, along with the facade that shapes their reality. Individuals who base their beliefs and behaviors on unverified or harmful assumptions—especially those that promote hate—are typically what society refers to when it labels someone as 'biased.'

But biases aren't inherently bad! In psychology, a bias is simply a previously determined preference that alters inclination. In other words, something is perceived as good or bad, better or worse, and thus worth choosing or avoiding. Therefore, every ethic and value that we live by is a bias. And when we make these judgments, we become emotionally invested to some degree, which moderates the strength of our inclination to fight for it or against it.

The inclinations that drive human behavior, which motivate the nature vs. nurture debate, are far more clearly understood in the context of biases. Nature (genetics) vs. nurture (environment) offers a misleading explanation—or even a false dichotomy—for inclinations. A more useful dichotomy is to compare current-state physical inclinations to psychological inclinations (biases). For example, physical inclination is demonstrated when a person eagerly takes a second bite of a newly discovered food. But bias is demonstrated when you suddenly spit out that second otherwise tasty bite because you're told it's dog meat.

Although biases can sometimes be harmful, they more often serve critically important roles. Biases help form emotional connections, shape our sense of identity, and guide our values, while also mitigating potentially harmful physical inclinations. For example, the bias to avoid walking barefoot on hot coals is generally useful. Yet, walking on hot coals is often used in self-help seminars as an example of how our crippling fear-based biases can and should be challenged. Because, when we examine our biases and reshape them with clear intentions, we can transform our greatest limitations into our greatest strengths. So, let's take a moment to further explore our biases about having biases.

Isn't Being Biased the Same as Being Closed-Minded?

Often, someone who is passionately biased will close their mind to new information. And the process of adjusting or discarding our values can feel very unsafe and disorienting. Likewise, those who have no opinion may be more inclined to objectively accept new input due to a lack of emotional investment. However, someone with firm biases can also train their mind to accept the duty to give fair consideration to new information. Whereas, individuals who appear open-minded may simply feel strong discomfort with making healthy emotional investments.

What About Prejudice and Bigotry?

Prejudice and dogmatism are the result of refusing to challenge bias validity. Add hate and intolerance, and you get bigotry. But the negative biases have their opposites as well. Passionate biases become virtuous when they're frequently challenged and consistently altered to reflect new evidence. Virtuous integrity cannot exist without the act of upholding this type of open-minded bias.

And in any of the above cases, your degree of emotional investment determines how far you are from neutral ground. In other words, dispassionate open-mindedness demonstrates no virtue, and dispassionate prejudice conceals its vice. But open-mindedness becomes exceptionally virtuous when passionately held convictions are humbly and courageously adjusted in favor of newfound knowledge.

How can I be sure that I have good biases?

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to guarantee that your biases are good or bad. At best, there's the open-minded, persistent, and uncomfortable pursuit of comprehending right and wrong. But don't be discouraged, there's also a profound sense of peace and confidence in knowing that you're making that imperfect but sincere effort. The following are my recommendations for how to optimize this effort.

Step 1: Accountability

The first difficult task on the path to improving your biases is making an active effort to recognize those biases and take accountability for them. My personality test on this site and multiple articles have been dedicated to this effort, with more to come. But for starters, recognize that all convictions, reactions, and preferences indicate a bias.

Step 2: Change Your Mind

The second difficult task will be to frequently and honestly challenge all of your biases. Your ability to create accurate judgments of good and bad will always be limited to your education and experience. So as your education and experience expand, make a conscious daily effort to challenge your opinions, perceptions, and reactions. If your effort is adequately humble and sincere, you will certainly find biases that aren't quite fair, reasonable, or accurate. Change them.

Step 3: Moderate Your Emotional Investment

The third challenge is to balance your emotional investment in your biases. For example, if you find yourself feeling overwhelmingly angry at someone simply for liking pineapple on pizza, it may be worth exploring why this reaction is so intense. Conversely, if you find that witnessing something as tragic as an innocent person's death elicits no emotional response, that too is a concern that might benefit from professional evaluation.

These examples illustrate that while we often feel our emotions are automatic, we do have the capacity to influence how we respond to various situations. To foster personal growth and happiness, aim to react in ways that align with what truly matters to you. This involves recognizing when your emotional responses may be disproportionate, and then making appropriate adjustments.

In future articles, we will delve deeper into practical strategies for managing emotional investment, and helping you navigate your biases with greater awareness and intention.

Caution: Bias Rebound

Bias rebound is when someone with firmly held but previously unchallenged biases (such as a religion, culture, or a political party) determines (frequently because of cognitive dissonance) that some element of that group of beliefs is problematic. As a result, they don't just reject that belief; they over-correct and reject all associated beliefs. This all-inclusive and resentful rebellion creates a list of destructive beliefs and behaviors, which the rebounder justifies by making a few, possibly even healthy, corrections. Fortunately, strategically challenging biases using more healthy strategies in a favorable environment can mitigate or avoid this dangerous trade-off.

Conclusion

By recognizing that biases are not inherently good or bad, but rather tools we can refine, we become empowered to take control of our psychological inclination. This journey toward understanding and managing your biases is not merely an intellectual exercise; it's a realistic path toward long-term change.

As we strive for happiness, let us commit to being open-minded while also humbly holding to our convictions. By embracing the discomfort of challenging our beliefs and moderating our emotional investments, we cultivate a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Ultimately, achieving our more lofty goals will hinge on our willingness to engage in the uncomfortable ongoing work of self-discovery.

I invite you to make a powerful internal commitment: 'I will do whatever it takes to become the person I want to be.' Declare this to yourself with deep conviction—decide now that it is possible—and let this be the first step in your transformative journey. The more emotional energy and enthusiasm you can invest in this, the more powerful the transformation will be. This is how positive bias creation works.

In future articles, we will continue to explore practical strategies to navigate our biases with greater intention, helping you embrace the complexities of your emotional landscape. Together, let's embark on this transformative journey toward a more joyful existence.