(Photo credit: Giulia van Pelt)
Everyone wants to be right and to feel certain about things. These are built-in biological drives, not character flaws. When we think we’re right and when we feel certain, we experience a sense of cognitive ease. The world makes sense to us. And that puts us in a good mood.
Cognitive ease feels good, but it gives us a false sense of security because it makes us think we understand far more than we actually do.
Consider this: when weighing or considering two ideas or beliefs, our brains tend to gravitate toward the one that is simple rather than the one that is complex just because the simpler idea has greater cognitive ease. We also tend to believe things we’ve heard repeatedly just because they’re familiar. What’s familiar is easier to believe than what is unfamiliar.
Then there are cognitive biases (such as confirmation bias, the halo effect, etc.), which give us a sense of cognitive ease by short-circuiting critical thinking. By operating at the unconscious level, they lead us to make snap judgments and quick assessments we feel quite confident about. We shouldn’t!
The subjects of cognitive biases, cognitive ease, and critical thinking don’t sound particularly glittery or sexy. But I promise to be at least mildly entertaining.
MONTHLY MEETINGS OF THE MIND (& BRAIN)
Tuesday, 04/22/14, 6:45-8:00pm
FREE but space is limited. Contact me for more information.
