Your brain is biased by default. Here’s how to reset it. | David Eagleman

Expanding your worldview starts with understanding your brain. Stanford neuroscientist David Eagleman explains.

David Eagleman, a neuroscientist at Stanford and host of the Inner Cosmos podcast, explores how our brains shape the reality we experience and why we often accept our perceptions as the only truth. From a young age, we develop our understanding of the world based on limited experiences and biases, which can lead us to form narrow views about what's true.

Eagleman explains that our genetics and life experiences wire our brains in unique ways, meaning that each of us sees the world a little differently. He introduces the idea of "perceptual genomics," which looks at how slight genetic differences influence our perception of reality. He also discusses how our brains naturally create in-groups and out-groups, a tendency rooted in evolution that affects how much empathy we feel for others.

To overcome these biases, Eagleman suggests that we start by recognizing our own prejudices, understanding the tactics of dehumanization, and connecting with others through shared interests. This approach helps us appreciate the diverse realities others experience, ultimately contributing to a more empathetic and understanding society.

We created this video in partnership with Unlikely Collaborators.

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About David Eagleman:

David Eagleman is a neuroscientist at Stanford University and an internationally bestselling author. He is co-founder of two venture-backed companies, Neosensory and BrainCheck, and he also directs the Center for Science and Law, a national non-profit institute. He is best known for his work on sensory substitution, time perception, brain plasticity, synesthesia, and neurolaw.

[catalinagomez]

What a great honor to be able to learn so much from Mr. Eagleman, even though I am miles away from him. Thank you for posting this video! I am a HUGE fan of Doctor David Eagleman. 😊

[gribincealorelia]

David Eagleman is the neuroscientist that best understands how wonderfully different are our brains and how unique are our internal models

[johndenner]

‘Building a richer model of the other person” what a great place to start!

[josepires]

I've led collaborative innovations in 30+ countries and learned that we focus too much on our differences while nearly all of what makes us human is very much the same. ❤

[kiminthemix]

Why does this sort of content not go viral? Clearly, we prioritize bias

[JubairAnsary-dyzu]

As the bengali revolutionary poet nazrul said: গাহি সাম্যের গান! মানুষের থেকে বড় কিছু নাই, নহে কিছু মহীয়ান। (meaning: I sing the song of equality! There's nothing greater than human identity, there's nothing nobler than that!)
We must always be biased towards humanity!🥰🌐☮🕊

[krismatic_]

I love David Eagleman. His quote will forever stay with me "The brain's job is to create an internal model of the exterior world."

[GrandmaRose]

I wish this was the kind of thing that went viral.

[lisam]

If only you could teach these things to politicians….it would help this country become less polarized and the government to be more productive.

[abody]

It's not possible to "unbias". It certainly is possible to acknowledge and attempt to account for those biases though.

[saralamuni]

We all share the same nature. There is no out group. By excluding others, you exclude yourself.

[joelharris]

In layman's terms: So Don Quixote's warped perception of reality was not just because of him gobbling up an overabundance of (outdated) chivalric romances in his extended spare time, but also as a consequence of possessing a set of unique genes, which influence the way he sees and interprets his external world, Baroque Spain. Miguel de Cervantes in his 419 year-old novel, partly influenced by Plato's Republic presented this as a fundamental problem of modernity: who gets to determine what is real, whose experiential reality holds more water in a world where the lines separating reality and fiction are blurred? In a sense, we are all Don Quixotes, indefinitely imprisoned by our brain's evolutionary internal programming in a post-Platonic world stripped for the most part of that abstract substance: transcendence

[igorchak]

It's interesting that emotional intelligence isn't mentioned anywhere in this video, even though these skills are crucial for recognizing personal biases. While I agree with all the suggested actions, the real challenge is self-awareness, which is where these educational videos fall short in making a lasting impact on individuals.

[chaoticlue]

I have started to think only in terms of neural networks now. Hence we have a bias and proportional weight that keeps changing with our experiences i.e., back propagation.

[JaySmith-pvmw]

How is one supposed to respond to an outgroup that sees me and my ingroup as enemies that need to be vanquished? It's not a lack of understanding on my part about the outgroup's worldview, it's that I understand ALL TOO WELL. Finding some small thing we have in common isn't going to be enough.

[_Akhilleus_]

I have my own set of steps too:
1) Understand and recognize that our ideas are subjected to change or reinterpreted and viewed from other points of view.
2) Like in the orchestra example, what matters in a discussion or in a society is the song we're playing, not the individuals appearances.
3) In the orchestra, we need to adapt our selves to keep the music coherent and harmonic

[YoungerFuthark]

Nicely stated. Not very revelatory for some people. On a side note, the beeping background music was distracting for me. It sounded like the beeping was in my environment and I paused the video to verify, but it still distracted me for the rest of the video.

[skiphoffenflaven]

At one time, the poking experiment, if the hands were labelled Conservative/Republican and Liberal/Democrat, would have caused me to have the same response. Ever since DJT and the rise of MAGA, I am sure I would not respond if Conservative/Republican was poked. Yes, I have allowed my empathy for supporters of DJT to dwindle. Because I see them as a threat to ALL of humanity, even themselves.

[GhibliHeroine]

This notion that each individual experiences reality differently based on their mental conditions reminds me of Buddhism. For instance, what may be a traumatic experience for one person might not be for another. This is because people process and interpret events through the lens of their personal life stories, emotions, psychological resilience, and the context in which the experience takes place.

But this idea of showing more empathy only towards one's own group doesn’t work for everyone (perhaps it works in individualistic cultures). For me, for instance, it doesn’t matter if a child or animal belongs to a specific group. Whether they come from a different religious culture or ideology, you’ll still want to protect them because they are vulnerable.

[Isaac_blingz]

i really love the contents of this page