Dear readers!

This week my three kids are on European summer holidays (I live in Croatia now), so we are together and taking a break.

To keep our minds healthy we need to prioritise our family and rest time, so I am keeping the teaching simpler this week and going back to basics. I will introduce you to, or refresh you on 12 out of 24 cognitive biases that we are ALL battling with daily!

Next week I will deliver the remaining 12!

To my new subscribers of which there are many, if you would like to read some previous week’s CT letters, tap this link and scroll down! Enjoy all the info I have imparted to students for many years.

I teach you about what is happening in your mind so that you know what the mind is geared to do.

You cannot be a better thinker without knowing what your mind is actually set up to do. Actually, our minds are usually busy trying to reduce rationality and act upon emotion. Remember though, you're human so this should not be surprising!

The more you resist your natural human mind, the less you can understand human beings (including yourself) and their relationship with the world.

I notice those who are trying hard to be the 'rational thinkers,' but there is a point where things start to become messy as it is very hard to be rational when we all hold subjective perspective. You do not want to sound robotic. After all, you are human. A danger of over rational people is that one can become inconsiderate of the diversity that thought brings and suddenly begin to ignore feelings, experiences, and the meaning behind life itself. While it is important to be rational, we must know how to understand the person behind the attempt to be rational.

The person can never be eliminated.

You can observe emotion behind a person in many ways. Maybe it’s in their delivery, maybe it’s the way they respond to people.

Whether the “rationalist” is a scientist, doctor, male, female, non-binary, able-bodied, disabled, of one ethnicity or the other, if anyone throws out information militantly and with aggression, they are doing it wrong.

While I do not like to say what is wrong and what is right, if it causes resistance and exclusion, this is enough of a lesson that something is not working.

I do not tell you these biases for you to try and eliminate them. That is impossible.

Instead, with awareness and knowledge of what your mind is doing, you can become humbler—vital to being a critical thinker. As you begin to learn more about what you and others are battling with when you attempt to think, create, and share knowledge, you start to see biases exist for all people at any time they share knowledge.

You must aim to become instantly at service to the vulnerability of your mind and your human condition.

It is from this place where you become a powerful thinker.

12 Biases of The Mind

1. Confirmation Bias
Definition: The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information that confirms one's pre-existing beliefs or opinions.
Example: You tend to seek out individuals or groups who agree with your views and often avoid environments that present conflicting perspectives. This way you are continually in a cycle of re-confirming your beliefs. Another example involves people frequently reacting to isolated parts of a message often the parts which align with a pre-existing belief, without considering the information in its entirety, resulting in a decreased ability to fully comprehend the intended meaning. We do this all the time!

Tip: Look out for this next time. Critical thinkers try to be very good comprehenders. They read, re-read, connect ideas, look at the bigger picture, and reflect before reacting/responding to reduce the chance of error and often do not want to create conflict. They are simply preoccupied with learning not winning.

2. Anchoring Bias
Definition: Relying heavily on the first piece of information encountered (the "anchor") when making decisions.
Example: Anchoring bias is evident in various situations, but let’s use an example to frame the concept such as when one may be negotiating the price of a house. The initial asking price (the anchor) strongly influences subsequent offers and counteroffers, shaping the entire negotiation process. Real-estate agents know this hence using this psychological tactic for decades.

Similarly, when forming opinions based on the information you have access to, the first data encountered often sets a precedent for how we interpret and evaluate subsequent information. You keep comparing new pieces of information to the initial anchor. Maybe you read a book you thought was great once or a person you respect told you something that stayed with you, those become anchors to all your thoughts. This may happen to religious people and atheists alike. Critical thinkers recognise the potential for anchoring bias and actively seek additional perspectives to ensure a more balanced and informed viewpoint. Critical thinkers are open to moving the anchor based on additional information all the time. Remain curious, open, and flexible and you will tackle this bias.

3. Self-Serving Bias
Definition: Attributing positive events to one's own character but attributing negative events to external factors.
Example: This behaviour is frequently observed in people where individuals tend to attribute positive outcomes in life to their own character strengths but swiftly shift blame to others when things go wrong. For instance, maybe during conversations with our partners, we might fault communication breakdowns entirely on their actions while viewing our own communication style favorably. The reluctance to acknowledge our role in conflicts hinders personal growth and strains the relationship. Self-serving methods happen commonly because to elevate our own status and others’ belief in our abilities we will unconsciously diminish the worth of others. It is a simple and easy strategy to make us look good. Practicing critical thinkers try to be humble enough to say when they could be wrong and they begin to stop telling stories where they are continually criticising others or where they are the hero of the story. Tip: If you are constantly unfairly tearing down the character of others you have inner work to do to reduce the biases which come with this behaviour!

4. Availability Heuristic
Definition: Overestimating the importance of information just because it is most readily available.
Example: This phenomenon is evident through watching or being exposed to mainstream news channels or another example may be in the influence of individuals we encounter frequently, which can skew our perception of reality. The more we hear certain information, the more likely we are to accept it as true. For instance, if our parents repeatedly told us something throughout our lives, we might unquestioningly believe it due to its accessibility and familiarity. However, upon deeper investigation, we may discover additional information that challenges or contradicts those beliefs, highlighting the importance of seeking diverse perspectives.

I’ll tell you a funny story about cucumbers. My parents were born in Fiji, they were taught and then taught me to slice a small part off the tip of the cucumber, and then rub that repeatedly against the bottom. A froth develops and this is how we take the bitterness out of the cucumber. I continued this activity religiously and believed this as unwavering cucumber-truth until I moved out of home and saw my boyfriend watching me speechless. His reaction made me seek out further information. Taking the bitterness out of cucumbers in this way seems to be scientifically impossible. LOL. It still makes my parents feel better though, so I guess its a placebo.

5. Fundamental Attribution Error
Definition: The tendency to attribute others' behaviours to their character while attributing our own behaviours to situational factors.
Example: This is a common occurrence where individuals tend to attribute problems to various external factors rather than initially examining their own contributions to the issue. For instance, there may be a tendency to blame certain people, genders, ethnicity, or groups for their behavior, labelling them as having inherently bad character traits. Yet, when reflecting on their own behaviour in similar situations, people often cite external societal influences or other uncontrollable factors as reasons for their actions. This disparity in attributions underscores the complexity of human behaviour and the importance of introspection and empathy in understanding others. It is very easy to blame the world for our problems and we do it all the time. Critical thinkers are tough on their own mind and often start by looking at their own contributions.

6. In-Group Bias

Definition: Favouring members of one's own group over those in other groups.
Example: You defend a friend’s or family members actions in a conflict but criticise the same actions if done by a stranger. Or members of one ethnic group consistently favours their own methods and ways of thinking and living and reject and resist those members who form part of another group. We see this happening in real-time now as we are watching the growth of online groups where people militantly defend the views of the group and where any person contributes an opposing view the members often lynch mob this person cancelling them. This does not lend well critical thinking. Often those offering an opposing view bring very important ideas worth pondering as this is where CT happens. CT reduces in any space where views are not challenged. People will rarely oppose the views of the group as it will cause friction and thus jump ship to join other groups who may be more open or willing to be flexible. We may or may not have done this when we decided to move from Australia to Croatia! Shaking up your worldview is a very good thing! Try it.

7. Just-World Hypothesis
Definition: Believing that the world is fair and people get what they deserve.

Example: Assuming that a homeless person or person in the criminal justice system must have made poor choices to end up in that situation. While people can and do make good and bad choices every day and absolutely could to better, there are systemic or other circumstances where people are more likely to find themselves in difficulty. For example, statistical evidence shows us that those in foster care are more likely to become homeless, or that boys without fathers are more likely to end up in the criminal justice system. So, while there may be ways for people to change their futures, there are also many reasons why life is sometimes not fair and people are often the victims of what is an unjust world. Sometimes we can contribute and help but sometimes we can not. At the very least we should be aware of the just-world hypothesis bias.

8. Placebo Effect
Definition: Highlights the influence of biases and perceptions on decision-making and thinking, referring to a person's belief in the validity of something.

Example: A person might strongly believe in a particular piece of information as a solution and subsequently reject all other information, despite potential benefits. While a placebo is used for many positive health benefits, knowing about this bias is still important as the placebo effect demonstrates that our minds can be easily manipulated. I think this is a very important lesson about our minds.

9. Bystander Effect
Definition: The tendency for individuals to be less likely to help a person in need when other people are present.
Example: When something bad is happening, for example, a terrible event in a crowded place including abuse or even trolling in online forums and threads, people are less likely to assist someone, or jump in to back up assuming someone else will help. It is a type of paralysis that distracts us from a sense of responsibility. It is a problem as later we experience guilt and it often leaves us with an unhealthy mental state so if we care about issues we must represent the change we want to see in the world. There are occasions however where it may be better to not react or comment or get involved, these are two separate issues, however. There are always nuances in every situation.

10. Declinism
Definition: The belief that society or institutions are inevitably declining and you remember the past as being much better than the future ever will be.
Example: Nostalgically thinking that the education system was much better in the past despite improvements and innovations. This mindset and bias can be best understood when we hear people saying things that movies songs and artists were better when I was young. Being better is subjective, and experiencing these things in your prime time has caused you great bias. They are only better for you. Now, this type of bias can become problematic as despite the fact we live in the most prosperous time in history it is evident how many people view the world as declining poorly. While there are always problems, critical thinkers can ensure credit is given as it is due. We must appreciate the positives as well as discuss the methods to address the negatives.

11. Framing Effect

Definition: Drawing different conclusions from the same information depending on how it is presented.

Example: While you may think you think independently the fact is that we are almost always influenced based on the context, delivery, or person delivering the information. For example, if we respect scientists or one particular scientist, or a political party we are likely to always believe they are speaking the truth despite their behaviour or humanness which may represent the contrary. When you become aware of the ability for you to be easily manipulated, you may reduce the chances of being manipulated. It is also a good idea to know that not all things one type of person says could be more accurate or meaningful for you. This goes the other way too, if we dislike someone we are more likely to reject what they have to say based on who they are as opposed to what they are saying. Critical thinkers hear the information and try to remove the noise around what they think of the person. By doing this critical thinkers can rationally even discuss or talk with the most terrible characters of the world in the pursuit of progressing knowledge and collective understanding.

12. Barnum Effect

Definition: Believing vague, general statements made by people about various topics to be personally relevant.
Example: I witness this happening all the time especially online. Our minds are made to fill in the gaps and make connections when we do not have enough information. This leads to many assumptions. An important part of CT is that we do not make assumptions and simply fill in the gaps without seeking information. Importantly, if there are gaps the critical thinker leaves the gap as is and renders it transparent. For example, they will be comfortable simply stating they do not know enough information to answer or even comment. An example of this bias may be feeling that a generic horoscope or a pseudo generalist clairvoyant providing vague descriptions precisely describes your day-to-day experiences. Online if a person posts something on their personal page that is related to something subjectively meaningful for the poster you believe it to be directly related to you despite the fact that it could mean different things for different people. This happens when people become offended at posts or comments that they take personally despite the poster or person speaking not intending it to be taken personally.  This is a very common bias and it is also related to people projecting insecurities.

Next week I will deliver you the remaining 12 biases I introduce part of this series of two letters as well as a reference list for further reading.

Also, remember, I am just one person and I am giving you my perspective. I have researched many biases and I have taught these lessons, but I am still a person, a human presenting you my views through words I have chosen to use. It is up to you to decide how meaningful, rational, or fair they are to you, and in your reflections, you may come up with very valid thoughts that may challenge some of these ideas. This is critical thinking! The key is reflection! We do not have to think the same way but you do need ro learn to justify your ideas.

That’s it from me for this week.

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Until next Sunday, take care.

Dr. Esha.