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"A father and his son are in a terrible car accident.

The father is pronounced dead at the scene, but miraculously, the son is rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. At the hospital, the surgeon looks at the boy and proclaims, "I can't operate on this boy; he's my son."

But, how could this be?

His mother is the surgeon.

According to a study, only 20-30% of humans get this right." [1]

If you are like me, the other 70-80% who got it wrong, welcome to the awareness of unconscious bias.

You've just witnessed your brain take a mental shortcut, which led to a mental mistake. This is an example of implicit bias. We're unaware they exist or can not determine where they come from.

We all have unconscious biases—it's impossible not to. Bias is human.

Image [2]

Even the kindest and most well-intentioned people can be biased.

"The amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex make up the control panel for bias. The amygdala fires up for our fears, the hippocampus records our memories, and the prefrontal cortex controls our ability to reason and reconsider.

• The hippocampus is the brain's memory bank. It notes our associations and reminds us of them later–– a connection.

• The amygdala is the fear center of the brain. This manages emotions, fears, and impulse reactions.

• The prefrontal cortex (PFC)is where the brain settles things. We use the PFC to reason through different perspectives, weigh pros and cons, and revise our previous assumptions about things and people.

Bias is a natural byproduct of how our brains work and is baked into our environments from early childhood. But having bias does not mean that we are destined to be bad people." [1]

Our brains filter information through experiences and preferences to simplify thinking and decision-making. We tend to avoid information we dislike or disagree with.

While we believe we receive information objectively, our brains unconsciously filter data, distorting our perception of reality. This distortion can lead to irrational decisions and inaccurate judgments about others.

We like what makes us comfortable and familiar, and we dislike what makes us uncomfortable or different.

When bias shows up in real life, it can be hard to know what to do.

The key is to practice, which begins with the Power of the Pause.

Here are a few tips to bring awareness to potential bias and start mitigating it:

1. Avoid Rush Decisions: You are more likely to make a biased decision when rushed, tired, or multitasking. Under pressure, stereotyping is less of a cognitive load.

2. Seek Feedback: Ask others for feedback to consider alternative perspectives.

3. Pause for Reflection: When something supports your views, pause and collect more information.

4. Question Yourself: Surround yourself with diverse viewpoints and people with different life experiences.

5. Acknowledge Limitations: Be aware of your limitations and acknowledge you may not always be right.

6. Take Your Time: Take as much time as needed to make decisions.

7. Practice Empathy: Surround yourself with people who practice empathy, patience, and self-compassion.

Retraining our biased brains will take practice and repetition.

The best way to reduce the biases in decisions is to reduce the noise by gathering more data before deciding. More information leads to fewer biases.

However, beware of confirmation bias—only looking for information that confirms what you already think—and be mindful of your information sources.

Did you initially struggle with identifying the surgeon as the boy's mother? If so, what does this reveal about our biases, and how can we become more aware of them?

Reply and share with me!

The answers you need for your business are already within you. If you’d like support in identifying them and building a business you are proud of, I’m here to help.

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Jamie’s Second Brain Corner

[1] The Bias Inside Us - 6-part Smithsonian Exhibit

[2] Do you have a brain?

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