This is optimal living daily episode 1245 fundamental attribution error while you make terrible life choices by near a all of near and far calm And I'm just a molecule personal narrator reading blogs to you mostly sometimes books anything I think will be optimized your life today's post being from near a all of near and far near spelled N. I are and like I mentioned Yesterday, I'm really excited to see some progress with the 30-day challenge this month If you're on my weekly newsletter You got the notification for that and then there's been posts on Instagram and in our Facebook group with pictures and progress really awesome to see So thank you for participating and giving away books and random people participating If you want to join make sure you're on my weekly newsletter the next one will mention it You can join the newsletter for free at oldpodcast.com For now, let's get right to it as we optimize your life Fundamental attribution error while you make terrible life choices by near a all of near and far calm There I was sitting in a packed movie theater I waited two years for this equal and I've got enough popcorn and diet soda to last me a full three hours 15 minutes into the movie the hero and villain are facing out for the first time when a lady burst into the theater Trying to find a seat She awkwardly tries to squeeze into the middle of the row in front of me blocking the best part of the movie What a rude and inconsiderate person I think to myself as I dodge her body when she scuffles by a week later I'm rushing to catch another film with my friends is pouring rain and traffic is crazy I hope I make it before the previews end But when I reach the theater soaking wet on my dad the movie has already begun I have to turn on the flashlight on my phone to find my seat and accidentally step on a few movie-goers toes I hear tuts and loud sighs is clear these people think I'm a complete jerk well This isn't my fault It's raining and the traffic was insane. I think to myself as I take my seat I'm usually never late The fundamental attribution error strikes again The fundamental attribution error is our bias to judge other people differently from how we judge ourselves It is according to dr. Christina B.
Sheary quote the tendency to believe that what people do reflects who they are and quote for better man for worse This cognitive bias takes a few forms the first occurs when things go poorly when we screw up We tend to believe things happen because of circumstances outside of our control However, when others fail we tend to think as a result of poor choices or someone being a bad person For example, I believe that being late to the movie was due to the weather something I couldn't control However, I didn't give the same affordance to the other movie-goer who was late I assumed she was a rude person despite having no idea what might have made her late The second type of fundamental attribution error occurs when things go well When we succeed we tend to believe it as a result of our talent and hard work that might be true However, when others succeed our bias tends to make us think that the other person got lucky or was privileged in some way That college friend who made it big in Hollywood or your pal who now reports to the CEO at a fortune 500 company They were just at the right place at the right time, right? Why so judgy? What's the deal with our tendency to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt while not doing the same for others? Firstly, it's hard to see things clearly when we don't have all the information We only see a sliver of the world around us when someone else cruises up We see them as the most obvious cause of the problem We don't see all the things that might also be going on when it comes to our own mistakes We're fully aware of the factors outside our control so we understand the context of why we tripped up On the flip side, attribute our successes to our awesomeness boosts our confidence makes us feel good and improves our reputation among the people around us Turns out that confidence boosts can benefit us and may even serve an evolutionary purpose Researchers believe it may help us take on beneficial risks as we change our perception of what we're capable of For example, a study of unemployed college grads found those who credit their successes to themselves We're more likely to find a job than students who tend to blame themselves for failures The researchers believe students who view things in a more self-serving way were more motivated and optimistic about their futures End of an error.
While the fundamental attribution error has some benefits It also has a downside when it comes to how we think about others being aware of this tendency can help us put it in its place Here are two ways to make sure the bias doesn't get the best of us. Number one, acknowledge the role of chance Have you paused to grasp how many things had to go just right for you to be hearing the sentence right now? In the 13.8 billion years since the Big Bang, the billions of planets floating around the black abyss of space among countless galaxies Two million years of human evolution just happened to insert one special sperm out of millions into one single egg that made you The odds of winning this cosmical artery are mind-blowing and the best part is you had nothing to do with it You also happen to be alive in the safest, healthiest, most well-educated, most equitable time in human history Sure things are far from perfect in the world, but for the average person now is a whole lot better than any other time in history Remembering how many things outside of our control how to go just right can help us feel more grateful and reminds us of how lucky we are that so many things We had nothing to do with went just so the same attitude regarding the role chance plays in all our lives can help us cultivate a more unbiased point of view Number two try some empathy Research shows we are more likely to fall for the fundamental attribution error when we make quick judgments of others The next time you find yourself critical of someone else's behavior blaming who they are instead of what they did Try practicing some empathy practicing empathy has been found to reduce the fundamental attribution error Researchers believe pretending you are in the shoes of the person you are likely to blame makes us kinder and less judgmental For example that person who cut you off in traffic might be a jerk or alternatively Maybe the driver is a woman in labor, of course You'll never know but why not consider it anyway your anger won't change your driving and does nothing because you undue stress before being so quick to judge Try coming up with an alternative story behind why someone might behave a certain way It doesn't matter if the story is a little wacky you likely find a scenario you could potentially see yourself in Just humans humans seem to be hardwired to make the fundamental attribution error It evolved to aid our survival by bolstering our confidence and reputation However in modern society this cognitive bias can hurt us and others more than it serves us It can cause us to lose our cool get into more trouble because of the repercussions of our anger or ruin our day if we let it However, this bias isn't our destiny. There are ways we can fight this tendency and live a happier more empathetic life The next time you catch yourself about to lose your patience or tempted to give someone the stink eye or judge them as a bad person Remember they're human just like you give them the benefit of the doubt and put yourself in their shoes Even if it takes a little effort we'll all be better off for it You just listen to the post titled fundamental attribution error while you make terrible life choices by near a y'all of near and far Dot com there's actually some great illustrations.
I go with this post check out the original article I haven't linked in this episode description and at old podcast calm and speaking up If you want to participate in some 30-day challenges and have a chance to win some prizes for being part of that come by old podcast Dot com check out the post about it in the blog or simply join the weekly newsletter I give updates and reminders about the 30-day challenges in that newsletter again That's old podcast dot com and I'll leave it there for today have a great rest of your day I'll be back tomorrow reading to you where your optimal life awaits