Wired for Bias

The human brain may be a natural wonder, but it is often an irrational snarl of biases. With around 100,000 chemical reactions every second and over 50,000 thoughts every day hitting our brain, our judgements are often wrong because our brain trusts cognitive biases more than strong evidence.

An article published recently by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania explains how racial and gender biases are hurting our economy. It mentions a survey by the American Economic Association which acknowledges an alarmingly high level of gender bias in the field of economics, with around 50 per cent of the female respondents alleging they experienced discrimination. A staggering number of the female participants in the survey - around two-thirds - said their work isn’t taken as seriously as that of their male colleagues.

Additionally, around a third of non-white participants, from both sexes, admitted they had experienced racial discrimination, compared to barely four per cent of white respondents.                         

Corporate organisations and universities have procedures through their HR departments to address issues emanating from biases and discrimination, but measures taken to counter the problems are often toothless. Biases are so hardwired, appearing to be beyond any change, that most attention is paid not to counter them, but to avoid them.      

Our brain is wired for biases, but is it really possible for us to overcome our in-built biases or significantly mitigate them? Its answer cannot be precise or sharply defined. Corporate organisations, schools and universities, and government institutions have been only partially successful in their approach to a diverse and inclusive culture. Cognitive and implicit biases are natural, but the key is to understand that they have damaging consequences.