Bookshelf: Your Bigoted Brain

Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People

By Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald

Despite our best intentions, some biases die hard. Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald's work has revolutionized social psychology, proving that—unconsciously—people are affected by dangerous stereotypes. Their research was popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in Blink; now they present their own work to the public for the first time. Studies find that entrenched ideas about gender (women are less fit for work than men), ethnicity (American means white), and age (old people are infirm) exist even among members of the stereotyped groups. Assessments that expose our subconscious feelings about race show that about 75 percent of people show an automatic preference for whites over blacks. Undoing the effects of internal prejudice requires brazen intervention: After orchestras began implementing blind auditions in the 1970s, female hires doubled from 20 to 40 percent. —Matt Huston

Are You Biased?

Read each of the words in column A in order, from top to bottom. Mark the circle on the left if it is a FEMALE or career word and the circle on the right if it is a MALE or family word. Repeat with the words in column B.

Researchers use implicit association tests to measure hidden biases. In the lab, the sample exercise here is preceded by one labeled with more stereotypical associations (female/family, male/career). Men and women both stumble on the version (above), as untangling long-held ideas about gender is cognitively taxing. (The sample will not yield valid results. To take a real IAT, visit implicit.harvard.edu.)

Mastermind

by Maria Konnikova

The fast-paced, high-tech world we inhabit may be more complex than Sherlock Holmes's Baker Street, but we can still leverage the mental strategies of the renowned reasoner. Weaving together the fictional detective's cases and modern day neuroscience, science journalist Konnikova explains exactly how.

Much of our environment is unnecessary noise, so the key is learning how to filter information, much as the famous detective does when he gathers clues. Instinct may be important, but a methodological approach (think: checklists) is essential. Mental breathing room is also crucial: When Holmes was stuck on a case, he'd smoke a pipe and reflect. Ideas need time to incubate; not all solutions are Eureka moments.

Most people rely on mental shortcuts, flying autopilot on what Konnikova calls System Watson. Forcing the mind to observe, imagine, and deduce can make the brain more precise—important for solving cases or simply staying sharp as we age. —Marina Koren

Physics in Mind

by Werner R. Loewenstein

To perceive and understand the world around us, we need to process vast amounts of information. While the brain dedicates dense networks of neurons to the task, biophysicist Loewenstein explains that the heavy lifting is done by a complex array of microscopic particles making calculations at the quantum level.

Light, for example, is made up of quantum-level particles called photons. The sensors in our eyes have not only evolved to detect these vanishingly small particles but to make sense of the information they convey with stunning speed. When you look at an object, different channels in the brain simultaneously process separate inputs like shape, color, and location.

Ultimately, survival depends on how well an organism can spot patterns and distinguish signal from noise—a test of computational power. It's an indication, Loewenstein notes, that to understand the mysteries of consciousness, we may have to think small. —Luciana Gravotta

The Myths of Happiness

by Sonja Lyubomirsky

We tend to believe that achievements, such as marriage, kids, careers, and wealth, will make us happy, while failures, like divorces and lost savings, will keep us dejected forever. But you can be happily broke or miserably rich. You can be joyfully single or depressed amidst a loving family.

Mind-set has the power to turn around even the worst circumstances. In each chapter, Lyubomirksy details an event that people assume creates happiness (e.g., marrying well) or sadness (e.g., deferred dreams), and then goes on to show how each event can just as easily lead to the opposite outcome. Even good marriages can become boring, while reflecting on regrets can make us more mature, complex, and ultimately happier.

Fretting about what life should look like can make us unaware of what we already have—an idea summed up nicely by Socrates in the book's epigraph: "He who is not contented with what he has would not be contented with what he would like to have." —Lina Zeldovich