Backfire effect

The amygdala always wants to be right.

It’s not rational, no matter how much we bargain with it. It’s not based on fact, no matter how much evidence is stacked against it. It’s not based on truth, no matter how much faith we have.

It’s the natural man. It’s angry and it’s afraid and it controls the conversation, the inner dialogue in our heads.

When our core believes are challenged and our foundation is shaken, we let narratives, stories, prejudices, and biases get in the way of what’s real and what’s fake. All in an effort to protect ourselves.

So what if instead we developed a new posture. We don’t let our views and narratives get in the way in our search for truth. We admit we are wrong, all the time, and we’re willing to change our minds. We say that this is my tribe, these people are like me in sharing this system of values, these are the ideas we believe in, this is what resonates with me. We work to unravel our narratives, stories, prejudices, and biases so we can elevate the conversation.

If someone is offering something that isn’t for you, it’s not for you. It’s okay to say no thank you, but, more importantly, we work to open our minds to a world of possibility.

You might be surprised to discover that you’ve been wrong about something your whole life. Only then, can you move to a higher sphere of thinking.