{"id":64407,"date":"2022-04-08T17:01:57","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T21:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=64407"},"modified":"2022-04-15T17:19:05","modified_gmt":"2022-04-15T21:19:05","slug":"perceiving-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/perceiving-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Perceiving Reality: We All Use a Distorted Lens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you perceiving reality accurately, or do you have blind spots in your perception? Does everybody perceive the world in the same way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Harvard professor and social psychologist Daniel Gilbert, we all are perceiving reality through a distorted lens. Gilbert says that your brain fabricates your present reality by filling in visual and aural gaps in your perception with assumed information\u2014and by interpreting present events in a way that\u2019s advantageous to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the two fabrications that most people make about reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Fabrication #1: Your Brain Fills in Gaps in the Present With Assumed Information<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first problem with perceiving reality is that your brain doesn\u2019t just fill in the gaps in your memory<\/em> with assumed information. It even fills in the gaps in your visual and aural perception of the world<\/a> right now <\/em>with assumed information<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, says Gilbert, you have a literal blind spot\u2014a small area you can\u2019t see\u2014and your brain fills in that spot based on what it sees around it. For example, if you\u2019re looking at a blue sky, but part of your perception is obscured by your blind spot, your brain will fill in the blind spot with the blue sky it does<\/em> see. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, adds Gilbert, your brain fills in sounds you don\u2019t hear clearly or fully with approximations based on the contextual sounds you do<\/em> hear. For example, if you\u2019re talking to a friend while a dog barks nearby, you might technically only hear: \u201cToday was a long day, so I\u2019ll go to -eep early tonight.\u201d However, your mind will fill in the missing sound \u201csl\u201d to create the word \u201csleep\u201d because that makes the most sense given the context of the sentence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Brain Prefers Fabricated Information<\/strong>

Gilbert contends that your brain supplements your visual and aural perception of reality with fabricated information. He doesn\u2019t mention that your brain may trust<\/em> that fabricated information more than the information<\/a> you truly perceive. 

A study demonstrates this: Researchers showed a subject two images of vertical stripes. One of those images contained several horizontal<\/em> stripes, but those fell within the subject\u2019s blind spot. The subject\u2019s mind therefore filled in the blind spot with the vertical stripes it detected around it, rendering both images identical. 

When researchers asked the subject which of the two images seemed more likely<\/em> to contain continuous vertical stripes, they expected participants to opt for the vertical stripes-only image. But, in fact, 65% of participants chose the image with the horizontal stripes in their blind spots. It seems their brains were more inclined to trust fabricated information than information they truly perceived.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fabrication #2: You Interpret the World to Your Benefit<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The second way<\/a> you fabricate your perception of the present, writes Gilbert, is by interpreting events around you<\/strong> in a way that\u2019s beneficial to you<\/strong>. In particular, you interpret ambiguous events\u2014events that reflect neither positively or negatively on you\u2014as reflecting on you positively<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example: You\u2019re hosting your first art showing, and a patron declares that your work is \u201cinteresting.\u201d That word is ambiguous\u2014it\u2019s not definitively positive or negative. You choose to interpret it positively, as that\u2019s more advantageous to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Gilbert describes our tendency to positively interpret the present as universal. However, there may be cultures that are more likely to view events positively than others. For instance, many Latin American countries have high Positive Experience Indices (PEIs) because they focus on the positive facets of life<\/a> and have a strong ability to take joy in experiences.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You interpret the world to your benefit using the following five techniques, continues Gilbert:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technique #1: You Look for Information That Supports What You Want to Believe<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First, you only look for information that supports what you want to believe, claims Gilbert, and ignore information that supports the opposite. For instance, if you decide to get a Labrador rather than a St. Bernard, you\u2019ll want<\/em> to believe that Labs are better than St. Bernards. You\u2019ll therefore only pay attention to blog posts and articles expounding the virtues of the Labrador and won\u2019t pay attention to information on how wonderful St. Bernards are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: This tendency to look only for information that supports your existing beliefs is commonly known as confirmation bias<\/a>. While confirmation bias makes your life comfortable by letting you see the world the way you want to see it, it also has drawbacks: For instance, it makes it difficult to have balanced conversations around politics<\/a> because you only pay attention to information that supports your existing political beliefs, not to information that supports the beliefs of the opposing political party.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technique #2: You Value Undesirable Information Less<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Next, when you encounter information that contradicts your beliefs, you perceive it as less credible than information that supports your beliefs, writes Gilbert. For instance, if you stumble across an article that describes St. Bernards\u2019s loyalty, you might decide the author isn\u2019t an experienced pet owner so your preference for Labs isn\u2019t undermined. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Ignoring good information that flies in the face of what you want to believe, as Gilbert describes here, may be easier now than ever before. Thanks to the internet, there\u2019s a huge amount of information at your fingertips<\/a> supporting a vast swath of viewpoints. You can therefore easily find a source that discredits the information you disagree with and supports your own beliefs, allowing you to maintain your stance.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technique #3: You Surround Yourself With People Who Support Your Beliefs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another technique you use to interpret the world to your benefit, writes Gilbert, is to surround yourself with people who bolster your existing beliefs<\/strong>. By agreeing with your beliefs and sharing your worldview<\/a>, they enable you to see the world the way you want to see it. You even prompt them to express what you want to hear\u2014by asking leading questions<\/a>, for instance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, when chatting with a friend who shares your passion for Labs about the Labrador you\u2019re about to buy, you might start the conversation by saying: \u201cIt\u2019s great how much less Labradors shed than St. Bernards, right?\u201d In this way, you prompt your friend to agree with you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Gilbert seems to suggest that we always want our friends to confirm our beliefs and tell us what we want to hear. However, in situations where you suspect your behavior might be causing problems, you likely want truthful input so you can improve. Solicit this input by being clear on what type of input you\u2019re after<\/a>, say Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, authors of Thanks for the Feedback<\/em><\/a>. If you want the honest feedback of your friend on something you\u2019ve said or done, ask<\/em> for honesty. This gives your friend permission to be frank with you.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technique #4: You Compare Yourself Favorably Against Others <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To interpret the world to your benefit, you also favorably compare yourself to those who are worse off than you (and sometimes even <\/strong>cause<\/em><\/strong> others to be worse off than you)<\/strong>, writes Gilbert. For instance, you might compare your career to that of your less successful friend so you seem more accomplished. You might even fail to send them a great job posting because that could threaten your relatively stronger career standing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Gilbert outlines one form of comparison we often make\u2014against those who are worse off\u2014but humans also habitually compare themselves to those who are better<\/em> off. In 12 Rules for Life<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Jordan B. Peterson argues that because we now receive vast amounts of information about other peoples\u2019 lives through mass media, we feel compelled to compare ourselves to others who seem like they\u2019re doing better<\/a> than we are. This leaves us feeling bad, rather than good, about ourselves.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technique #5: You Have an Automatic Happiness-Protecting Response to Adversity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The final technique you use to see the world to your benefit relates specifically to difficult situations, writes Gilbert. When something bad happens to you, you interpret that event in a way that lets you be as happy as possible about it<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your mind does this by deriving meaning and learning from bad events. Feeling that there’s sense behind a terrible event and that you\u2019ve learned something from it lets you feel happy\u2014or at least thankful\u2014this event happened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example: If your family\u2019s business goes under, you\u2019ll be understandably miserable at first. But soon, your mind will begin to derive meaning from this occurrence: You\u2019ll feel this was a sign to pursue a career you really love, you\u2019ll be grateful you no longer have to work alongside family members you don\u2019t like, and so on. Eventually, you\u2019ll probably be able to declare yourself happy that the business went under. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, continues Gilbert, your mind is <\/strong>less<\/em><\/strong> able to derive meaning and learn from <\/strong>moderately<\/em><\/strong> bad events, as opposed to <\/strong>extremely<\/em><\/strong> bad events<\/strong>. This is because moderately bad events don\u2019t threaten your overall well-being as much as traumatic ones. Therefore, moderately bad events\u2014like bad grades, fights with friends, and traffic\u2014are more likely to leave you unhappy for longer than awful ones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: How can you reduce the unhappiness you feel about moderately bad events if your brain won\u2019t do so automatically? You could practice deep breathing to reduce stress and irritation or try to find humor in unpleasant situations<\/a>. You might also adopt a solutions-oriented approach to the bad event, considering what steps you can take to actively make things better.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Happiness-Protecting Response and Antifragility<\/strong>

Gilbert describes a mechanism that lets you interpret bad events positively. This is similar to Nassim Nicholas Taleb\u2019s concept of antifragility, which he describes in Antifragile<\/em><\/a>. <\/em>Antifragility, according to Taleb<\/a>, is the ability to not only bounce back from, but grow and improve as a result of unfortunate events<\/a>. 

Beyond automatic antifragility responses\u2014post-traumatic growth, for instance, which is humans\u2019 natural ability to improve as a result of trauma<\/a>\u2014Taleb also outlines active ways you can build your antifragility: for instance, by testing out many<\/em> solutions to problems<\/a>. This allows you to bounce back from a series of missteps, whereas investing a lot of time and energy into research toward a single<\/em> solution doesn\u2019t give you as much flexibility to bounce back if that solution doesn\u2019t work out.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you perceiving reality accurately, or do you have blind spots in your perception? Does everybody perceive the world in the same way? According to Harvard professor and social psychologist Daniel Gilbert, we all are perceiving reality through a distorted lens. Gilbert says that your brain fabricates your present reality by filling in visual and aural gaps in your perception with assumed information\u2014and by interpreting present events in a way that\u2019s advantageous to you. Here are the two fabrications that most people make about reality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":64612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,160],"tags":[605],"class_list":["post-64407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","category-science","tag-stumbling-on-happiness","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nPerceiving Reality: We All Use a Distorted Lens - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"According to Daniel Gilbert, we all perceive reality in different ways. 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