Bias is both something we have – it’s “held” in the Elephant and something we do – a Rider “activity.”

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In the Elephant*, a bias is an emotional belief  (i.e, a like or dislike, an opinion or judgment that has been made for or against) that is “used” in creating our reactions.  Bias is defined as “the tendency to lean in favor of or against a person, group, idea, or thing.” This definition is often appended to include “…usually in a way that is unfair.”  And, yes, most people do come to relate such an accusation (i.e., “You’re biased!”) to imply some negative connotation, as if being biased is a bad thing¹.  Well…although not always, it certainly can be – and often is, depending – because many biases (maybe most) are based on feeling, ignorance (i.e., being uninformed or having insufficient knowledge), and/or prior fallacious conditioning (e.g., we learn a lot in childhood that is simply wrong or untrue).

 

In the Rider*, bias is the influence that our beliefs and preconceived notions (i.e., our [prior] conditioning) have on our thinking.  What is particularly relevant to know is that bias is usually a hidden factor (i.e., the Rider is generally unaware of its “influencing” effect) and, while it can be positive, is potentially quite harmful.  And this is why learning about, understanding, and developing cognitive skillsets to mitigate bias is so important.

 

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*Elephant/Rider Model: Based on the metaphor from The Happiness Hypothesis, Jonathan Haidt, 2006.