You’re not deaf, but you might as well be. The science is clear: we hear what we want to hear and believe what we want to believe. As Mark Twain once said, “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”
A study by the University of Minnesota found that people are more likely to accept information that confirms their beliefs and reject information that challenges them. It’s called confirmation bias, a cognitive trap we all fall into.
Think about it. When was the last time you truly changed your mind about a deeply held belief? Whether it’s politics, religion, or your favorite sports team, we cling to our convictions like life rafts in a stormy sea.
History is littered with examples of beliefs held to the detriment of society. The Earth being the center of the universe, the superiority of certain races, and the ineffectiveness of handwashing in medical settings are just a few. As Max Planck, the father of quantum theory, said, “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die.”
It is not only limited to firm beliefs, but the simple things we have convinced ourselves of that require us to look at a problem or situation differently. The obsession with seeing what we see already is the inhibitor. Stop. You are wasting time and not helping yourself.
This selective hearing can be a silent killer in a world where innovation and progress depend on open-mindedness. The solution? Actively seek out opposing views. Embrace cognitive dissonance. And remember, as Aristotle once said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
