Cognitive biases—systematic errors in thinking—can contribute to mental health challenges and hinder social perspective-taking.
A new publication led by a UBC psychology honours student Shannon M. Craig reviews how different cognitive biases—negativity bias, framing bias, confirmation bias, and essentialism bias—play a significant role in shaping psychological health.
Craig and the study co-authors, including UBC psychology professor Dr. Susan Birch, propose that overcoming cognitive and social biases requires a diverse set of strategies and that combining these approaches is the most effective way to improve mental health.
“The world is facing a mental health crisis. One in eight people worldwide are struggling with their psychological health, according to the WHO. With that number of people facing unique and diverse mental health challenges, the solution will need to be just as diverse. It will take evidence-based strategies from across every field of psychological research.”
Shannon M. Craig
Craig and the co-authors say, “This review summarizes some of the most common cognitive biases in the way we think that block us from achieving optimal social and emotional health. These thinking patterns can be quite subtle, such as whether we perceive failures as challenges or disasters, and whether we overestimate the extent to which others notice or evaluate our actions. These biases in the way we think are diverse and permeate nearly every facet of our daily lives.”
The paper, Changing Lives by Changing Minds: Reducing Cognitive Biases to Enhance Psychological Health was published in the Psychology Journal: Research Open, an open access online publisher.
Dr. Susan Birch
Dr. Birch, senior author of the study, says, “Biases in the way we think affect every aspect of our lives—decision-making, communication, relationships, workplace productivity, and our ability to manage stress and anxiety. The good news is there are several practical research-backed strategies people can use to improve these aspects of their lives. Our current research project teaches people these different strategies and examines which ones are most effective at improving their wellbeing.”
Shannon M. Craig joins us for a Q&A to discuss this research and strategies individuals can easily incorporate into their daily lives.
What specific cognitive biases did your research target?
Our review explored a range of cognitive biases from different areas of psychological research. We focused on biases common to clinical, social, and cognitive psychology, such as negativity bias, framing bias, and the curse of knowledge bias. We also addressed biases rooted in developmental psychology, including essentialism bias and mindset bias.
What strategies do you recommend for individuals to become more aware of cognitive biases in their everyday lives?
Many cognitive biases arise from our natural tendency to believe our perception of the world is the most accurate. One effective strategy to counteract this is to actively seek alternative perspectives of our surroundings and behaviour. For example, reframing failures or challenges as opportunities to learn and improve or seeing stressful events as opportunities to cope with adversity and reflecting on how our thoughts and actions might be perceived by others. These small shifts in perspective may lead to improvements in various aspects of our daily lives, including enhanced communication, better conflict resolution, and greater relationship satisfaction.
Can you provide an example of how combining strategies to reduce cognitive bias can yield better results?
Overcoming our cognitive biases, especially those that shape how we perceive our daily lives, cannot be accomplished through one strategy alone. There is “no silver bullet solution” guaranteed to overcome our cognitive ‘bad habits’. Instead, a comprehensive approach, informed by research across various psychological disciplines, is essential for improving our social and emotional well-being. A crucial first step toward positive change is learning to adopt a growth mindset – the belief that with effort we can change. For example, we can learn to focus less on the negative and become more optimistic. Our traits are not fixed. As such, embracing a growth mindset lays the necessary foundation for applying other strategies targeting a variety of social and cognitive biases.
How can the findings of your study be applied in real-world settings, such as therapy, education, or workplace mental health programs?
The strategies outlined in this review can be applied in multiple real-world settings, from education to the workplace to personal relationships. Importantly, these are practices individuals can easily incorporate into their daily lives, such as journaling to reflect on their beliefs and behaviour. These practices can foster social awareness, improve decision-making and boost overall social and emotional well-being.
“Biases in the way we think affect every aspect of our lives—decision-making, communication, relationships, workplace productivity, and our ability to manage stress and anxiety. The good news is there are several practical research-backed strategies people can use to improve these aspects of their lives. Our current research project teaches people these different strategies and examines which ones are most effective at improving their wellbeing.”
Wellness calling! Participate in research at Dr. Birch’s KID Studies Centre.
