Beliefs Blur, Goodness Clarifies

The Moon taught me about perception.

Suggests deGrasse Tyson:

“When the moon is rising and it's juxtaposed near mountains or buildings, your depth cues are thrown off. You know how far away the mountains and buildings are, but the Moon is essentially at infinity.

Your brain tries to reconcile this by making the moon bigger than it actually is. It’s not bigger - it's all in your head.

If you view the scene upside down, then your brain can’t recognise the mountains or buildings. The moon becomes small again in that instant.”

Something in my head clicked.

We don’t directly experience reality. We perceive reality through our senses and, in doing so, it’s filtered and distorted by our a priori assumptions of the world.

If I already believe my colleague is rude and he’s late to a meeting, I’m more likely to perceive his lateness as inconsiderate (fundamental attribution bias).

If I already believe in a particular course of action, I’m less likely to perceive disconfirming information (confirmation bias).

Suggests Richard Davidson:

“The amygdala has projections all the way back to the primary area in the brain where visual information is first received.

This provides a mechanism through which our negative emotions can influence our perception of visual information from the first moment.”

Continues Edgar Schein:

“Theory has shown us how extensive this perceptual distortion can be. The defensive mechanisms of denial (refusing to see certain categories of information as they apply to ourselves) and projection (seeing in others what is actually operating in ourselves) are perhaps the clearest examples.”

So, beliefs distort perception.

The anecdote? We must believe people are good. By believing people are good, we “overcome the obstacle of tending to seek refuge in blaming others” (Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag). This forces us to take heed of what others say, in turn requiring us to question our own beliefs and perceive reality with fresher eyes.

The takeaway? Believing people are good reignites our curiosity, helping improve our perception of reality. It may just turn our world upside down.

Note: This article was inspired by deGrasse Tyson, Goleman’s Destructive Emotions, Schein’s Process Consultation, Goldratt’s The Choice. Quotes adapted for brevity.