Confirmation Bias (aka WYSIWYE)

My original thought was a kind of tongue-in-cheek piece on how humans unconsciously "categorize" or "stereotype" nearly every aspect of our environment (confirmation bias). I expect the grass to generally be green except when it's dormant. If it is daytime and clear skies overhead, I expect to see blue. 

Our brains unconsciously categorize things that are threats and things that are alerts, or all good, or supportive/nurturing. It's too overcome the lack of wiring in some aspect of the brain. I think it's the connection to the prefrontal cortex, but I'm on a roll and not looking that up now.

This functionality is how you hear of people who start driving to work on their daily path when they suddenly realize they are in a different place, like they were on auto pilot. In essence, they were. (Maybe it's related to the fight/flight response of the amygdala?)

So, I've been toying with the idea of WYSIWYG. I believe I first saw this on my 1990 word processor typewriter. 

What You See Is What You Get.

We have the sayings. Seeing is believing. Show me the money. The whole odd "Show Me" thing from Misery, I mean Missouri. Whoops. My bad. That was impolite and uncouth. My profound apologies.

(I've got reasons for that, but that's a different story for another time.)

In humanity's bid for instant gratification and always online 24x7 electronic utopia, we are starting to see that there are substantial costs that were not calculated. The inability to process the formerly overwhelming amounts of information that we encounter daily without to much thought. 

Our lives are more complex. There are more of us. It is stickier than at any time before in human history. It's seems like nearly every culture is holding it's collective breath awaiting their version of some massive change in our realities. And we will all finally know who was right, and who was wrong. 

But in the event that doesn't occur by the time you've read this, maybe this will help. It is helping me. Sometimes, WYSIWYE - What You See Is What You Expect. If you constantly believe good things will happen, are you more or less risk adverse? Does it therefore follow that what you get is what you expect? 

Are there causatory elements that have been laying right there for all to see? All of this time?

That's some food for thought.




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