Mind Bender # 8 : The Solution
The responses to this month’s Mind Bender were really quite interesting. And some of them stemmed from making an assumption based upon social bias.
You see, a number of you glanced at the picture and thought the Doctor might say something along the lines of: “You look quite slim to me”. And you probably thought to yourself … maybe we have a case of anorexia here.
In fact, the Doctor probably said something along the lines of: “Don’t worry; a lot of men tend to put on weight around your age”.
If you allowed yourself to assume the man was the Doctor, you immediately added an unintended dimension to the puzzle. Sometimes, without even realising , you can often stir up your dormant stereotypes.
And, when it comes to Commercial Property Investment … unless you can free yourself of pre-conceived notions, you’ll find it can be a costly indulgence.
1 August, 2007 at 10:55 am
Well, this was a setup!
The word slim immediately appeals to the high levels of concern among women, also men, but … hey? which sex takes the most action?
The man is dressed in a suit, appealing to all our childhood experiences of “display of power and expertise” by seniors (often men). Even the text is put above the womans head, implying she is asking.
The problem becomes how to stop AUTOMATIC neuron-level responses by my own mind? How do I cause my mind to re-evaluate situations EVERY single time? even though it seems familiar and understandable?
And that is no simple task.
We are genetically and experientially trained and wired to use these type of heuristics for survival, and to manage the huge amount of information flooding into our senses.
That is what I learnt from this.
1 August, 2007 at 12:29 pm
You don’t have to convince me that there are inherent pre-conceptions with how we all tend to view the world around us.
Ignoring any built-in notions of who “ought be” the Doctor, the white coat would normal help you in making that choice.
The sole aim of this Mind Bender was to cause you to stop and question your assumptions, from time to time.