Brain truth:

We often only notice things that support our existing beliefs.  This is called confirmation bias. We all experience it whether we think so or not. There are over 100 well documented cognitive biases. Bias is a short cut that aims to keep us safe, but it can distort our thinking away from the truth or reality. You can’t feel a bias.  They are well hidden in your unconscious processes that act as a lens through which you view the world. It is like thinking you are looking through clear glass but in reality the glass is distorted in some way so you get a slightly different view.

 

Strategy:

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1) Ask yourself, What am I missing here and what if I were wrong?  What would the opposing view be? Is there any evidence to support my view?

 

2) Travel is a way of broadening the mind for critical thinking because when you travel you see many layers of ‘normal.’  What is normal for one person may not normal for you at home or the next country you visit. You start to see there are many shades of normal and this makes us much more tolerate, curious, empathetic and open to learning. We start to reflect on our belief systems that directly impact on our critical thinking abilities.

 

Story:

 

In August 2026 a church in Quebec, Canada caught fire. Posts began to appear circulating on social media suggesting the fire had been started intentially by an immigrant. People started to pile on and soon there were hundreds of comments supporting that view. On investigation the police found that the fire was caused by a lightning strike. When the church was seen burning, the image triggered some people, who already had the view that immigrants were causing problems (most were not) and they jumped to the conclusion (without any evidence) that an immigrant was guilty. As the number of comments mounted, people thought it had to be true because hundreds said so. This is a strong example of confirmation bias. Critical thinkers check their bias.

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Question:

 

1) Next time you have an argument with someone about religion or politics consider why everyone thinks they are right.  We can’t all be right can we?

 

2) Why do you think that hundreds of thousands of people believed the earth was flat?