It can be very troubling to figure out the truth about things. This happens when two people whom you care about are in conflict with one another and they tell you conflicting stories. Who do you believe? Or major governmental institutions, departments, government leaders point the finger back and forth and tell conflicting stories. Who are you to believe?
As if the problem of figuring out the truth isn't hard enough, add another element. And that is, our perception of things is strongly influenced by our expectations. It's maddening to me as a rational, logical, clinical psychologist for over 30 years to see my brain trick me. I wear my cellphone on my belt, set to vibrate all day long. And it does vibrate pretty often. Then I get home, I take my phone off to charge it. As I walk around in my home, I feel my phone vibrating on my belt. I reach down and remember that I'm not wearing my phone. But, my brain has delivered a signal to me that feels exactly the same as the real phone. I mean, exactly the same and I'd bet a pile of money that my phone was vibrating on my hip. But, despite my very high level of confidence in the accuracy of my perception, it was completely wrong.
The mis-perception starts with an expectation and from conditioning. I expect phone calls, and so I perceive them. And if my brain is capable of tricking me into believing something so basic as a cell phone call, imagine how it can trick me into believing a host of other wrong perceptions as well.
If I am a Republican and I hear a negative story about a Democrat, I am conditioned to expect this. And, therefore, I am more likely to believe it as true given my expectation bias. Or, if I am a Democrat, and I hear a negative story about a Republican, I am more likely to believe it as true given my pre-conceived expectations. Add to it the natural tendency to gravitate to information that confirms my expectations and overlook data that are contrary to my expectations, and I am one sorry, biased and confused individual.
So, how do we get out of this hopeless mess of confusion? First, by recognizing how all of us are vulnerable to being tricked by our own minds. We can be wrong about something even when we're very confident that we're right. Get in the habit of talking in a civil, respectful way with others whose opinions are different than your own. Strive to find at least some things they say that you can agree with. Get information from varied sources. Follow writers, journalists, news outlets who have historically been balanced and reasoned. If you believe that none are trustworthy, consider that this is one of those things that you believe as true with great confidence like me with my cellphone. Consider how your own views on something may bias who you are likely to listen to and believe. Model for others around you a healthy respect for how we can all be vulnerable to bias.
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