It’s really tough to not get caught in negative thinking traps. The overwhelming news, the shared outrage on social media, it can be a lot to overcome.
I just read this enlightening article about the negative biases we live with every day. One piece of advice stood out to me:
Regularly ask yourself, “How could I be wrong?” as a challenge question.
It’s so easy to go the easy way and confirm our beliefs. Flat-Earthers are the best examples of this; Ignore everything else except the things that help make your case.
I use this question regularly when I make assumptions about why people vote for certain political parties and politicians. If I’m wrong, then I become curious about why they did, what others reasons are there? And ultimately, how might a problem be solved by truly understanding it?
By asking the question with a “How could I be”, you’re not conceding you are wrong, just how could you be, if you were. It removes the emotional defense of it.
The article above gives another example, about how with some recent headlines think crime has increased in our city, but by challenging it you then realize we are at historical lows.
By asking this question, you at least entertain the idea that there could be more to the issue than your current stance.
