7.2: Keeping an open mind

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In fact, this is a well known issue called "confirmation bias." We tend to believe things that confirm our beliefs while we tend to not believe things that don't confirm our beliefs, even when provided with credible facts.

Definition: Confirmation bias

Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values.

Watch Defining Confirmation Bias (2m34s). Video by Facing History & Ourselves(opens in new window).

Consider this as well - Google is making it even harder to find information that may go against previously held beliefs. Watch Beware: Online Filter Bubbles (8m37s). Video featuring Eli Pariser by TED 2011(opens in new window).

And it isn't just Google! Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok all recommend accounts to follow based on what you are already following. We are living in a time where it is easy to live in an echo chamber.

So - what can we do about it?

Read a diverse set of news sources. Do you tend to get all your news from one outlet? Try diversifying where you get your news.
Read beyond the headline. Do you read the the entire article or just react to the sensationalized headline meant to grab your attention?
As you read, identify whether the writer's views, beliefs and assumptions similar to or different from your own. How does the text make you feel? What can you learn from the text?
Talk with people who have different views to find out why they believe what they do. Worry less about convincing each other and more about learning why they believe what they do.

_{This content has been borrowed and adapted from the University of Connecticut}_{https://guides.lib.uconn.edu/interrogating/bias}