There’s no wonder why the social-web is blowing up around the debate last night. It was completely unacceptable from every viewpoint-there was no humility, no love, and humanism was hardly a priority. However, it is clear that the debate didn’t accomplish anything either as the “us versus them” mentality is clearly presenting itself this morning. So what is this “us versus them” and why is this concept of debate, at this point in our time, so damaging?
All reliable data points to America presently becoming more violent and hostile within subgroups and COVID is not helping in this. However, if you think “your guy” got screwed over last night, then you should read on. The winner of this year’s election will not be Biden or Trump. The winner of this year’s election is going to be your brain, and more specifically a concept called Cognitive Bias (CB).
We all live in our own, self-serving world. We like the people we like (and vice versa) because of how we process the information against our own sense of self. The reason why Cognitive Bias is the winner is that it is always right/correct, from our own point of view. It comforts us and it protects us. It tells us that our standard of life and quality of experiences are good-enough. This is why a penny pincher or a vegan may have tremendous joy despite a spender or meat-eater not being able to understand why or how they can find joy.
Why is CB so damaging at this point in time? If we take the debate as an example, and if our guy won or lost, we more deeply embrace our CB and create greater distance from those around us that don’t share our viewpoint. It is incredibly unhealthy and won’t improve our ability to find common ground and nurture respect for differing points of view. To read more about CB, how it works, and steps to minimize it, check out this webpage.
About the author: Dr. Rob Lion is a professor, researcher, and consultant that focuses on improving work experiences through the use of evidence-based practices. Rob and his wife, Angie, own Black River Performance Management (https://blackriverpm.com) where they provide a broad range of services ranging from corporate consulting and cultural growth to hiring, training, and managing change. Rob may be reached at info@blackriverpm.com.
There’s no wonder why the social-web is blowing up around the debate last night.
It was completely unacceptable from every viewpoint-there was no humility, no love, and humanism was hardly a priority. However, it is clear that the debate didn’t accomplish anything either as the “us versus them” mentality is clearly presenting itself this morning. So what is this “us versus them” and why is this concept of debate, at this point in our time, so damaging?
All reliable data points to America presently becoming more violent and hostile within subgroups and COVID is not helping in this. However, if you think “your guy” got screwed over last night, then you should read on. The winner of this year’s election will not be Biden or Trump. The winner of this year’s election is going to be your brain, and more specifically a concept called Cognitive Bias (CB).
We all live in our own, self-serving world. We like the people we like (and vice versa) because of how we process the information against our own sense of self. The reason why Cognitive Bias is the winner is that it is always right/correct, from our own point of view. It comforts us and it protects us. It tells us that our standard of life and quality of experiences are good-enough. This is why a penny pincher or a vegan may have tremendous joy despite a spender or meat-eater not being able to understand why or how they can find joy.
Why is CB so damaging at this point in time? If we take the debate as an example, and if our guy won or lost, we more deeply embrace our CB and create greater distance from those around us that don’t share our viewpoint. It is incredibly unhealthy and won’t improve our ability to find common ground and nurture respect for differing points of view. To read more about CB, how it works, and steps to minimize it, check out this webpage.
