If You Like Donald Trump, This Might Be The Reason Why
Have you ever wondered why it is so difficult to consider new points of view once your mind is made up?
It is likely the Confirmation Bias at work. According to this theory, people tend to search for information that supports their point of view and ignore information that doesn’t fit.
Let’s take a look at a few examples:
- You want to see a business guy in office so you support Trump. Then he picks a Twitter fight with an 8-year old girl, creates fake news… and unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year or so, you can provide at least 10 more examples here! Despite all of that, Trump is still your guy!
- A person has been involved in a relationship for 5 years with someone who they feel has potential to be the partner they want them to be. There has been no improvement to date, nor any hint of change on the horizon, but the person remains convinced that the change will come someday.
- A man is convinced that Ford makes the best trucks and continues to buy from Ford even though the last 2 trucks he bought were lemons (I have no axe to grind with Ford, it’s just an example!)
For a third example, let’s take a quick look at a study from Park et al., 2010. In this study, the researchers examined 502 stock market investors and observed how they picked stocks. The researchers predicted that investors would primarily look for information that supported their belief about a certain stock and ignore competing information.
The result?
The investors who displayed the strongest confirmation bias were the most overconfident in their stock picks and made the least amount of money!
Take Home Message
It is important to be aware of the Confirmation Bias in your daily life. Here are 4 tips to get you started.
- Be open to the idea that you are already doing this!!!
- Select a belief you have and allow yourself to explore alternate viewpoints.
- Expect your mind to push back and want to discard the information. Relax, breathe slowly, and continue…it is only an exercise.
- Write down the different views in opposing lists and lean on evidence and logic to help steer your decision.