Thread by @SteveEnglishbey

Paul Nyman recently cited this as regards how many typically tend to interpret/analyze information:
exploringyourmind.com/only-hear-want…
You should read all of it. But I'll cite a few excerpts.

"The information we choose through our attention mechanism doesn’t always have to be the most valid or relevant. We rather try to pay attention only to the things that confirm our beliefs or opinions."

...." we look for environments that reinforce our beliefs. Since everyone around us thinks the same way we do, we believe our opinion is the one that’s right."

"there’s another bias through which we only hear what we want to hear: confirmation bias. It refers to the tendency to look for evidence that validates our thoughts and beliefs while ignoring the evidence that questions them."

"We do this almost unconsciously. If we come across information or a person who contradicts our beliefs, we tend to reject them. We don’t study the validity of what they’re saying, we just decide not to believe in their arguments."

"We’re not even interested in knowing the truth most of the time, we just want to prove to ourselves that we’re right. Insecure people can relate to this the most. They’re definitely more stubborn when it comes to their biases."

ALL of the above I understand well. Meaning I have been guilty of this at times, and I have seen it in others many times.

But my awareness of my own bias in this regard [going back many yrs.] allowed me to understand that this cognitive flaw INHIBITS learning...it retards development.

One basic cognitive strategy I employ to mitigate against confirmation bias is to intentionally listen for DISTINCTIONS between what I think vs. others I am listening to.

Meaning that I have the mindset of, and the focus on, trying to listen for the dissimilarities ---not the similarities ---between my thoughts/opinions vs. info I am reading or listening to.

I think this strategy sharpens the focus in that I am actively looking for, in effect, anti-confirmation of my thoughts/opinions.

I am looking for info that is against my beliefs and I am looking for rational explanations as to why what I think MIGHT be wrong.

In effect, I want to know how and why the info I am looking at is distinct from what and why I think the way I presently think about some particular subject matter.

This is something that I have very much tried to train myself to do. As with so many things mental and physical, INTENT matters.

And in this example, the intent to look for distinctions helps to better sharpen the mind and better helps to actually interpret/analyze one's own thoughts and others.

I have begun many hitting clinics over the yrs. by highly suggesting that those in the audience should really try to hear the distinctions between my thoughts and theirs.

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