Overcoming one’s biases is critical for treating other people with respect and fairness, but biases are often rooted very deeply in our brains, making them difficult to fix. A good way to address the prejudices we subconsciously hold is to do this exercise for implicit bias awareness.
To do this exercise, list the ten people you trust the most on a piece of paper. Don’t think about this too hard; simply listen to your heart.
When you are finished, list the gender, race or ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, and level of education of each person on this list.
Do you notice any trends among the people you chose? Chances are, most or all of the people you selected were relatively similar to you. This demonstrates a bias that we all have: we tend to hold the most respect for people who are like us. This can severely limit the perspectives we hear on a daily basis.
After completing this exercise, your goal should be to diversify the pool of people you listen to. Don’t just spend time with people who are different from you; actually pay attention to what they have to say. This is the only way to overcome your biases and develop a more balanced worldview.
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