This Is The Reason You Think You're Right All The Time + How To Overcome The Bias

The way you're thinking is probably wrong. If you just felt a twinge of frustration reading that sentence, you're not alone: It's perfectly common to wholeheartedly believe that you're right all the time—even when you're wrong. 

"Humans are, by default, in what I call the 'soldier mindset,' in which your motivation is to defend your ideas and your beliefs against any evidence that might threaten them," says rationality expert Julia Galef, author of The Scout Mindset, on this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast. As a result, we tend to band with others who regurgitate our same beliefs; we follow social media accounts that reinforce our ideas; we subscribe to news outlets that confirm our biases with grabby headlines. 

There are a number of reasons, says Galef. First up: It's simply less cognitive effort to listen to what you already agree with. "Having to do the work of reaching for a charitable interpretation of what they're saying and not strawmanning them, that does take more cognitive effort," she notes. Meaning, sidling up to what you already agree with is, frankly, easier on the mind. 

Next, humans are inherently social beings—so it only makes sense we want to band with others we wholeheartedly agree with. "We automatically sort ourselves into [groups]," says Galef. "Sometimes they are just demographic, like your country or your race, but often they are about your beliefs." She adds, "So when someone plays to your side, it's like, they're cheering for the [group] you share with them, and it feels really good." Consequently, when someone speaks against your crowd, it can feel insulting.

The first step, says Galef, is to notice when your passion is clouding your judgment. Of course, passion isn't inherently bad—there's no problem with being excited about a cause and wanting to spread the word! 

It seems counterintuitive: If you're trying to become more open-minded, why should you remember the times you were feeling defensive? 

Actually, she says, it’s a crucial step toward shifting your thinking. "If you don't notice yourself being in soldier mindset, that probably isn't because you're an exception to humanity. It's probably because you are not very self-aware." If you can't muster the humility to say to yourself, "I'm feeling defensive," or "I'm just reaching for rebuttals," how can you expect to engage with others in an intellectually honest way? 

Galef continues, "An important part of self-awareness is paying attention to your actual track record. How do you actually behave?""

You've probably heard this point before: Make sure to engage with different perspectives. However, says Galef, you don't want to just meander on over to the completely other side of the spectrum—that can do way more harm than good, as arguing with an irrational person typically only reinforces that what you're thinking is correct. 

"Engage with criticism, but try to prioritize listening to people with whom you have at least a little bit of common ground," says Galef. Find people you disagree with on fundamental issues, perhaps religion or politics, but have enough overlap so that you feel comfortable to communicate.