Since the beginning of civilisation, humans have adopted certain thinking patterns or cognitive strategies by which they filter information based on personal experience and preferences. It was meant to protect them and help them survive. Today, some of these work against, them rather than in their favour. Gurugram-based psychologist shares three of these in addition to how you can avoid falling into cognitive traps.
Stay astray of the negativity bias: Our brain responds more readily to negative information than positive. This is the reason why the sting of a reprimand lingers in our minds far longer than the jubilation experienced from praise. An effective way to deal with this is to nip a negative thought in the bud. Withdrawing yourself from the situation physically may help. If you cannot, deliberately engage your mind elsewhere for 30 seconds so that the intensity of negative thoughts lessens.
Ask, don’t assume: One of the common cognitive traps is to interpret the motivation of others based on past experience. Assumptions aren’t always accurate and can create unpleasantness or misunderstandings. Just make that move of asking what the other person means.
Get past confirmation bias: Just because it worked once, doesn’t mean it will always work. Once you start believing something, you tend to view it as sacrosanct. It may even lead you to make and hold strong (even false) beliefs. Instead, evaluate every situation independently.