On perception, cognitive bias and cultivating humility ahead of next week ’s vote

Many Americans worry about the political divide tearing our country apart. A large percentage are unwilling to engage with people who have opposing political views, and that’s creating more animosity. This is especially worrying considering how many crises we’re facing that require cooperation, trust, and solutions a diverse citizenry can get behind. How can we find a way across our divide and come together for common cause? At Greater Good, we’ve been studying and writing about various ways to bridge divides, putting together tools to help people connect. But there may be one key character trait that’s necessary for applying those tools in a constructive way: humility. “Humility is a kind of a master virtue that can pull along other virtues if people develop it,” says humility researcher Everett Worthington. Humility, as Worthington defines it, is multifaceted, involving an awareness of our personal strengths and weaknesses, as well as a willingness to acknowledge those weaknesses while working to improve upon them. It requires presenting ourselves in modest ways, while caring about the well-being of those around us. A growing body of research shows that being humble may be useful in bridging political differences. That’s because humility helps people let go of defensiveness, take in information that challenges their political views, and see the humanity in people on the other side of the political spectrum. Though it’s not always easy to embrace—especially...
Source: SharpBrains - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Brain/ Mental Health brain-teaser cognitive biases fundamental attribution error humility perception Source Type: blogs