1.2 Unconscious bias

How do stereotypes and prejudice have such a hold on how we think and feel about other people?

Unconscious bias is a learned stereotype or prejudice that is deeply ingrained, unintentional, automatic and able to influence behaviour. It is result of the natural tendency of the human brain to sift, sort, and categorise information about the world.

There are three main drivers that make humans susceptible to unconscious bias:

• We tend to seek out patterns. Unconscious bias occurs because of the brain's natural tendency to look for patterns and associations in the world. Social cognition, or our ability to store, process, and apply information about people in social situations, is dependent on this ability to form associations about the world.
• We like to take shortcuts. Like other cognitive biases, the unconscious bias is a result of the brain's tendency to try to simplify the world. Because the brain is constantly inundated with more information than it could conceivably process, mental shortcuts make it faster and easier for the brain to sort through all of this data.
• Experiences and social conditioning. Unconscious biases are influenced by experiences, although these attitudes may not be the result of direct personal experience. Cultural conditioning, media portrayals, and upbringing can all contribute to the implicit associations that people form about the members of other social groups.

Unconscious bias can be addressed through training and awareness. One of the benefits of being aware of the potential impact of unconscious bias is that you can take a more active role in overcoming social stereotypes, discrimination, and prejudice.