Each considered one of us carries personal bias to a point. It’s a natural cognitive process, but what we do with it matters. When biases are left unchecked, they’ll result in discrimination, poor decision making, and unrealistic or negative perceptions, amongst other things. But what’s personal bias exactly? Why do we have now it and what can we do about it?
On this guide to reducing personal biases with mindfulness, we are going to explore:
What Is Personal Bias?
The term ‘bias’ is often used, but what’s it exactly? Put simply, a bias is:
Personal bias is our individual way of viewing the world around us and is basically shaped by our conditioning. For instance, if we grew up in a family or community that had a selected political leaning, we would find that we have now a bias in favour of comparable pondering. That is after all not all the time the case as there are lots of aspects that play into why we expect the best way we expect.
Moreover, there are lots of different categories of bias that may illuminate the many alternative shapes this cognitive tendency can take. For instance:
These are only a couple of of the many alternative shapes that biases can take. While understanding the varied types may help us to know the best way the brain works, what underlies each type is identical. That’s, the tendency to make assumptions based on limited information and pre-existing views. How we address each of those biases is identical: we are able to meet every one with mindful awareness.
Tips on how to Reduce Biases With Mindfulness
No matter what style of bias we’re working with, we are able to address our assumptions, judgments, and inclinations with the identical thing. That’s, mindful awareness. By bringing mindfulness to the best way that we expect and make decisions, we empower ourselves to step beyond our habitual reactions. For instance, take the previous example about having grown up surrounded by particular political opinions. If we’re mindfully aware of what has formed our political opinions, we are going to turn out to be more open to recent information and concepts. At the identical time, we are going to find ourselves less judgmental of those with different political leanings.
It is usually necessary to notice that by reducing biases, what we are literally attempting is to scale back the that our biases have – or the tendency for them to negatively impact our actions. We cannot completely eliminate all biases as all of us hold unique experiences and values. Nonetheless, as we turn out to be more mindful of why we expect the best way we expect, it becomes easier to balance our personal views with other ideas or possibilities.
To scale back personal bias, the next considerations could also be helpful:
1. Recognize that all of us have personal biases – and that this doesn’t make us ‘bad’.
Step one to mindfully easing the impact of our biases is to acknowledge that all of us have them. A part of being human is having a private outlook on the world. We don’t must feel shame for having biases; as an alternative, we are able to practice self-compassion and curiosity. These two qualities will help us to confide in where our biases might lead us astray.
2. Reflect on a number of the biases that you simply hold, tracing them back to their root.
Spend a while practicing introspection, curiously inquiring into a number of the beliefs that you simply hold. Where do they stem from? How have they been reinforced? Keep in mind that you don’t want to harshly judge or attempt to remove your biases. Simply confide in your inner world and cognitive processing with curiosity and tenderness. Trust that they’ll soften naturally over time.
3. Practice responding moderately than reacting.
Moreover, it may be helpful to cultivate the skill of responding versus reacting. Once we react mechanically to any given situation, we have now no time to weigh other possibilities or variables. Take pause before making decisions so you could respond with greater awareness. A pause could take the shape of a protracted breath in the midst of a conversation or it could appear to be a three-day wait before responding to something on social media.
4. Mind the best way that you simply listen and speak.
Mindful communication is one other helpful practice to assist ease the load of our biases. Mindful listening enables us to listen to what one other person is saying with greater openness and curiosity. It helps us to turn out to be aware of our inner voice of judgment or resistance when faced with an opposing idea. Alternatively, mindful speech allows us to convey our feelings and perspective with greater accuracy. This could result in more fruitful, harmonious conversations.
5. Divulge heart’s contents to recent ideas and perspectives with curiosity.
Lastly, explore where you would possibly have the option to confide in recent ideas and perspectives. For example, if you could have a member of the family or friend who has a special view than you on a selected issue, consider exploring this topic with them. Allow them to know you’d prefer to weigh each side to find the several possible ‘truths’ that each parties might hold. It will likely help the person you might be speaking with to turn out to be more open-minded as well.
7 Mindfulness Exercises to Reduce Bias
For more ideas about reduce biases with mindfulness, consider the next exercises. These practices work through a wide range of means, equivalent to by increasing our compassion for others and by enhancing our ability to witness our thoughts without reacting. Explore these on your personal, with a friend or partner, or share them inside your workplace.
1. Replacing Judgment With Curiosity – Worksheet
This mindfulness worksheet invites us to look at the judgments that we make. For example, if we hold a negative view about someone, how might we cultivate increased curiosity about this person? This exercise may help to extend curiosity as a each day practice.
2. Just Like Me Meditation – Guided Meditation
One other practice to scale back negative judgments about other people is that this guided meditation led by Sean Fargo. The ‘Just Like Me’ practice serves as a reminder of our shared humanity, helping us to reconnect with a way of affection and compassion for others. Once we engage with others from the center space, we’re less more likely to react from a spot of bias.
This lesson on attentional bias helps us to turn out to be more aware of where we place our attention. For instance, we would begin to ask ourselves: What inputs are negatively impacting my mindset? What inputs might broaden my perspective if I place my attention there? This lesson is considered one of many within the Reducing Workplace Bias Course.
When faced with alternative views or opinions, we frequently turn out to be more rigid in our existing beliefs. This lesson helps to boost our awareness of this cognitive tendency, making it easier to see recent ideas not as threats but as ways to learn. This lesson is one other of the Reducing Workplace Bias Course.
5. Reducing Workplace Bias – Course
For those who are interested by exploring the various faces of bias and the way it impacts the workplace, consider this free course on reducing workplace bias. As you get to know the various ways in which cognitive tendencies might be limiting, it becomes easier to beat them in ways which can be useful for all.
6. Common Errors In Considering – Worksheet
One other helpful exercise for assessing our biases is that this worksheet, which introduces additional common errors in our thought processes. A few of these errors include: all-or-nothing pondering, emotional reasoning, jumping to conclusions, and denial of change. As you explore these common errors, reflect (with compassion and curiosity) about where you would possibly exhibit any of those tendencies.
7. Noting Your Judgments – Meditation Script
Lastly, this guided meditation script may help to extend personal awareness of the judgments that we make. This is just not about criticizing or forcing our judgments to vanish. Moderately, it’s a practice to easily enhance mindful awareness of our cognitive tendencies.
As you explore these exercises and tips about reduce biases, remember to have compassion in your humanity. By cultivating mindful awareness, you’ll naturally develop a more open and curious mind that may support you in the times and years to return. Deal with your personal journey and lead by example. As we turn out to be more aware ourselves, we naturally invite others to follow in the identical light.
