Are You Guilty of Taking Mental Shortcuts?
May 23, 2023
This week let’s talk about some mental shortcuts many people take, and how harmful they can be to relationships of every kind.
- Republicans think Democrats are soft in the head. Democrats think Republicans have no heart.
- Minorities think authorities are out to get them. Authorities think minorities are the source of all the problems.
- Baby Boomers think Millennials are lazy. Millennials think Baby Boomers are greedy and wasteful.
If you’ve watched the news, scrolled through social media, or listened to conversations around you, you’ve probably been exposed to those common mental shortcuts, as well as many others. Our human brains are wired to see the things around us that support what we already believe, strengthening those beliefs and making the shortcuts feel valid.
In addition to being common, the shortcuts cited above are incorrect, unkind, and unloving. When we allow ourselves to rely on the shortcuts our brains want to take, we cut ourselves off from...
