Your Brain is Biased
Written by Darby Ford
The modern world was built on the brainpower of the human race. Our brains are truly what set us apart from other species; with this higher cognitive functioning, we evolved from primitive cavepeople to sophisticated beings. Yet, sometimes our brains still rely on these outdated instincts. An important piece of understanding anti-Black racism is understanding our brain’s biases.
Our primal instincts involve one major motivation: survival. In order to survive, it is important to have basic resources such as food, water, and safety. In order to gather and protect these resources, our human ancestors had to identify potential dangers. Our brains tended to fear those things that were different from us; this thinking was reinforced because it kept us out of harm’s way. In modern society, there are less immediate threats to our physical wellbeing. Yet, this mental mechanism continues to manifest -- we fear things that are different from us.
In fact, this fear sets the groundwork for modern-day racism. When you feel that your “group” is losing control of its resources, you naturally begin to get defensive, thus projecting negative thoughts onto the “other” group. This “us versus them” mentality, although deep in your subconscious, can manifest through harmful words and actions.
Of course, not all of our brain’s shortcuts are bad. Some are extremely helpful when it comes to organizing the overwhelming amount of information around us. For example, our brains tend to categorize information to make it easier to remember. This is great when we are categorizing food groups or music genres; however, it can be dangerous when we begin to organize our information about people. It causes us to see people as generalities rather than as individual, unique human beings. In order to fight our own brains, we must first understand them.
Below are a few relevant mental processes:
Ingroup-Outgroup Bias: Our brains tend to subconsciously create an in-group, a group of people that are often “like you” in some way, and an outgroup -- those that are not. This often applies to our most salient characteristics (race, gender, etc.) but can be based on all kinds of characteristics.
Example: I love the Carolina Panthers and relate to our fanbase but I cannot stand the New England Patriots and think their fanbase is obnoxious.
Fundamental Attribution Error: We tend to attribute a person’s behavior to something about them rather than something about the situation. This tends to favor those in our in-group. For those that are not similar to us, we tend to attribute negative events to the person and positive events to the situation.
Example: My friend got into college because they are brilliant and hardworking, but my enemy got into the same college because they are lucky.
Representativeness Heuristic: We tend to categorize information; when something is within a category, we consider how similar they are to our mind’s existing prototype of that group.
Example: “She’s pretty for a Black girl.”
See how quickly our minds can turn harmless “shortcuts” into harmful statements? When we begin to see people as groups rather than individuals, we become prejudiced. Even “positive” stereotypes, such as “Black people are better at sports,” are harmful. They create unnecessary pressure on people to conform to the stereotype you have created for them. In doing this, you are allowing your brain to categorize people and ignore their individuality. You will begin to see Black people as a monolith: a single story, a single archetype, all based on bias.
A few weeks ago, we discussed how this movement is “bigger than you or me,” and why non-Black individuals need to put their pride to the side in order to support Black Lives Matter. Part of this humility is found in recognizing your own unconscious biases. This often involves confronting the fact that you may have played a role in this racial narrative, however small or large. This doesn’t make you evil, it simply makes you human. However, now that you know why you may hold bias, it is your responsibility to discover how to fight your brain’s biased tendencies. This week’s action items will offer you the opportunity to take an implicit bias test which will reveal the racial biases you hold. In order to become a better ally and a better human, we must intentionally seek out information that defies our biases. This means that we have to slow down our minds and recognize the harm that accompanies our brain’s biased tendencies. Below are some activities to get you started in understanding your own bias:
Action Items:
Take the implicit association test. Be sure to go somewhere that allows you to focus. Click “Race IAT” when selecting a test.
As you receive your results, remember to check your emotions. You may want to revisit the reflection points in our second article -- recognize your emotions, pause, and consider how this knowledge can help you be a more impactful ally.
Dive into this discomfort. Reflect on the following questions:
What biases do you hold about Black men? Black women? Identify one prejudice that you have for each.
What information led to these biases? Write down three sources of information in your life.
Listen to Bayete Ross Smith’s Ted Talk on stereotypes in art and media. Then, you can begin to analyze the information that you are internalizing:
What media sources do you frequently consume? This can be traditional news, social media, or otherwise. Rate the diversity of your media sources from 1 to 5.
Choose one new media outlet that will diversify the information you receive. Commit to visiting this media outlet each day for the next week.
What media do you create? How can you leverage this media to support Black Lives Matter and anti-racism?
Remember, it’s now your responsibility to be a continuous learner, developing a mindset that allows you to understand information about the racial inequities of American society. Next week, we’ll dive into the individual-level racism that results from prejudices, as well as the systemic disparities that perpetuate racism in America.