Confirmation bias is simple. Surround yourself with people and information that supports your ideas, beliefs and lifestyle. Then ignore, explain away or deny what doesn’t support your predetermined beliefs. The idea was coined by Peter Watson who stated: It is an involuntary filter through which people see the world.

Back in Peters time, it may have been involuntary. Today, however, everything is curated to fit our tastes. Through the invention of algorithms and digitization everything can be customized to support our biases. Social media, news feeds, online shopping,  and even dating can easily be changed to confirm or support our worldview.

Now this may be great to keep you informed about your interests, but not so great when it comes to limiting other’s ability to support our confirmation bias. Even without our knowledge every digitized device has embedded code that tracks every click of your keyboard, mouse, or controller. This information is then sold around the world and used to bombard you with similar information.

Confirmation bias is not all bad. It’s built into our survival and evolutionary biology to save mental energy. However, it helps to understand how we are hardwired in this area.

• Our thought processes can be hijacked by feelings and emotions to ignore contradictory information.
• Interpretation ambiguous inputs to help strengthen our existing theories.
• Remembering things that reinforce your beliefs and forgetting facts that challenge them.
• Focusing on sources that validate our worldviews and ignoring input that goes against our beliefs.
• Actively seeking out others that support our bias and ignoring those who don’t.

A few tips to keep balanced in an unbalanced world.

1. Be aware of our own bias.  Not an easy thing to do but taking the time to think things through in a quiet place helps.
2. Try finding dis-confirming evidence: Take some time to find information contrary to your belief and intentionally search for arguments that prove your initial thesis wrong.
3. Talk to people who disagree with you. This is my favorite way to keep myself from being caught up in circular reasoning.
4. Slow down your decision making: Emotional and rapid choices increase bias. Pause and slow down when evaluating information to objectively help break the automated mental shortcut.
5. Find objective data points. Basically, pay attention to the details. Read the fine print, find out what the numbers mean, spend time reviewing statistics by knowing where they got their information, read both high and low ratings and evaluations.
6. Expand your horizons and get out of your own bubble. Try traveling and exploring things beyond your comfort zone. Learn some new skills or hobbies. Talk to people around you. Ask questions. Join a club. Read things that contradict your beliefs.