What Are Biases and How Are They Formed?
On Google, a bias is defined as:
A prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another.
On Google, bias has a sinister definition.
In the real world, I believe the definition of a bias is more neutral.
My definition of bias is:
Forming an opinion based on limited experience.
A lot of times, the opinion can fall into a sinister category.
Other times, it’s not that big of a deal.
Throughout this post, I’ll give you an example of both.
Why Humans Are Biased
All humans are biased.
A sign of maturity is realizing that you’re biased and coming to terms with it.
The reason humans are biased is because we have a limited pool of experiences.
We haven’t been through every single experience out there.
Let’s say that we have been through every single experience out there.
Are we not biased then?
No!
The other factor of melting away biases is having a tamed ego.
A tamed ego properly contextualizes information in relation to the bigger picture.
A person who has been through every single event out there must also have strong judgment.
That’s another piece of the puzzle.
So, to not be a biased human, you need to meet the following criteria:
- Have gone through every experience (impossible).
- Have strong judgment (tamed ego).
Even then, the second bullet is highly subjective.
Strong judgment by whose standard?
With all that being said, humans are inherently biased.
Accept it.
Are All Biases Bad?
I don’t believe all biases are bad.
I believe many biases just are.
It’s neutral.
Without biases, it would be impossible to debate.
Have you ever seen those debates where one person is like:
‘Well, not all people are like that!’
This person is trying to give more context to the situation.
While this person’s debate opponent is doubling down on their bias.
The debate opponent who is doubling down understands that during a debate, you need to take a side.
The debate opponent knows he’s biased but chooses a side anyway.
If you are always waiting for yourself not to be biased, then you will waffle during big discussions.
Every now and then, you need to own your biases.
Otherwise, it will be hard to take a stand for anything.
For grand debates, and when you’re creating content, you need to take a side.
Always following up with:
‘Well, not everyone is like that…’
Will not lead the conversation anywhere.
Sinister Biases vs Experiential Biases
I once made a joke about how Indians rarely tip.
The person I made the joke to got offended:
‘That’s messed up, Armani.’
At first, I thought it was a messed-up thing for me to say.
Then I thought about it:
‘Nah…real talk! From my experience in the service industry, Indians rarely tip!’
I didn’t mean the opinion in a harmful way.
It was just a conclusion that I reached from firsthand experience in the service industry.
A sinister bias is when I perceive Indians one way from my experience with them in the past, and I treat them in another way in the present.
It’s one thing if I mentally think that Indians are poor tippers.
But it’s completely different when I give them subpar service because I go in with the preconceived notion that they will not tip.
For the second scenario, I am not carrying myself like a professional.
Since humans are inherently biased, I don’t think it’s a crime to think things.
But I do think it’s bad if you let your past experiences make you do things.
All it Takes is One Experience
I remember when I used to be a Zingo driver, I thought Indians were the worst tippers.
They would always talk in the car, but by the time they had to tip, they would just hop out of the car!
I stopped talking to them in the car.
What was the point of making small talk with them?
They aren’t going to throw me a few extra bucks or anything.
One day, I picked up a Desi guy.
I was dropping him off in downtown Tampa.
During the drive, he asked me a few questions.
We talked for a bit.
He led the convo.
By the time I was about to drop him off, he asked:
‘Got Venmo?’
I said I did.
But I thought he was just asking that for formality’s sake.
He’s Indian, he’s not going to tip!!
He scanned my Venmo ID, got out of the car, and said:
‘I’ll tip you from here.’
I didn’t expect much of it.
2 minutes later, I got a Venmo notification.
A 50-dollar tip!!
Wait a minute.
That was only a 10-minute ride.
He gave me 50 bucks for that??
I was stunned.
My bias was immediately shattered.
There will be plenty of times when you will hold a bias.
Then it will be shattered out of the blue moon….
Life has a sense of humor like that.
If you think white people only look out for their own…
It will be a white guy who fights tooth and nail to get you a job at your dream company.
If you think black people are dangerous…
It will be a black person who protects you when you’re about to get robbed.
If you think all women are rotten…
It’ll be a woman who teaches you how to love.
When you least expect it, the same person who you are judging will be the same person who shatters your bias.
If you want to spot the current biases you have, follow the emotions.
The stronger the emotions you feel for a certain group, the more likely you are biased towards that group.
Right now, it’s fine to have that bias.
Just know that a big part of growing up is acknowledging your biases and allowing them to melt away.
For more insights into psychology and storytelling, check out the Art & Science of Storytelling Book
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