{"id":796,"date":"2019-09-04T20:55:07","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T00:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=796"},"modified":"2022-03-04T16:34:23","modified_gmt":"2022-03-04T20:34:23","slug":"warren-harding-error-blink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/warren-harding-error-blink\/","title":{"rendered":"The Warren Harding Error: Blinded by Bias (Blink Chapter 3)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever misjudged someone based on superficial qualities, like her clothes, her hair, or even her voice? Appearances often mislead us. This is the Warren Harding error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn why we call this the Warren Harding error, and how to avoid letting surface details keep you from making smart decisions<\/a> about people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The History of the Warren Harding Error<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Warren Harding error was made popular by Malcolm Gladwell in the book Blink<\/em>. This is a cautionary tale about what happens when we’re deceived by appearances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early 1920s, Warren Harding looked <\/em>so presidential that voters were fooled into thinking he\u2019d make a good president. Their unconscious bias<\/a> for a leader that was handsome and dignified-looking led them astray. This bias interrupted the process of thin-slicing<\/a> (when you make quick, unconscious decisions<\/a>), producing an unreliable snap judgment. They based their decision on surface details, voting into office one of the worst presidents in American history. This was the Warren Harding error.
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Superficial Thin-Slicing<\/strong> and the Warren Harding Error<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Thin-slicing<\/a> doesn\u2019t always serve us. Sometimes, we make superficial snap judgments. <\/strong>
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Usually, thin-slicing helps us get below the surface details of a situation to find deep patterns. But stress, time pressures, and ingrained associations can interrupt this deep dive, leaving us with a snap judgment made on irrelevant surface details.
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The Case of Warren Harding<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Before he became the 29th president of the United States, Warren Harding had an undistinguished political career. He wasn\u2019t particularly smart, rarely took a stance on (or interest in) political issues, gave vague speeches, and spent much of his time drinking and womanizing.
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Still, Harding climbed the political ranks and became president. He\u2019s widely regarded as one of the worst presidents in history. How did he get the position in the first place? The Warren Harding error.
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He looked <\/em>like a president. His distinguished appearance and deep, commanding voice won voters over. They unconsciously believed good-looking people make competent leaders. Harding\u2019s handsomeness triggered associations so powerful they overrode voters\u2019 ability to look below the surface, at his qualifications (or lack thereof). <\/strong>These associations are, by their nature, irrational. This is how the Warren Harding error works, and it can lead to disaster.
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Conscious Versus Unconscious Attitudes<\/strong>\u2014Explaining the Warren Harding Error<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, our snap judgments aren\u2019t only the product but the root<\/em> of prejudice and discrimination. <\/strong>Our attitudes about race<\/a> and gender<\/a>, for instance, operate on two levels.
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