Looking for a Bit of Good News

Let’s Look for a Little Good News

© 2022 Robert J Chapman, PhD

 

Preoccupation with tracking the latest on the pandemic has caused me to overlook that COVID is neither the only nor the most persistent pandemic we should be worried about. Our tendency to think in binary terms, that either–or way of thinking, where anything outside, beyond, or different from my view of the world is, at best, wrong and, at worst, dangerous. Binary thinking requires living in an "us and them" world, where to protect "our" view of what is right and to defend against "theirs,” we fall into many cognitive biases that tend to sabotage our capacity for rational thought and therefore hinder our ability, if not willingness, to show compassion and embrace our innate humanism.

 

Confirmation bias and the availability heuristic are two common biases that foster much of the negativism, doubt, and suspicion experienced when considering “them” and their attitudes, values, and beliefs. The result is the frequent display of contempt that shows itself in disregarding authority, distrusting those who differ from our thinking, and the civil and political strife that afflicts our planet in the 21^st century.

 

Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out information that supports my beliefs and represents "the truth" while ignoring any argument or evidence that contradicts them. The availability heuristic—where “heuristic” is simply a fancy term for a mental shortcut—supports cognitive bias by making what we see and hear most often seem like reality. When these two biases happen together, I tend to look for evidence that backs my views on the truth and makes yours seem wrong or even dangerous—creating plenty of “available” information that strengthens my beliefs. 

 

As tough as the times we live in can be, there's good news and more than just a hint of hope: a sort of

vaccine to protect against these cognitive biases. To support this bold claim, I share a couple of my favorites as examples.

First, Playing for Change. This project records music performed by street musicians and people from all walks of life around the world, then edits them into very moving and uplifting covers of some of the most memorable 20^th-century songs, especially those with lyrics of hope and love. Two of my favorites are the 1960s Sly and the Family Stone's "Everyday People" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g4UWvcZn5U and Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM. To hear more examples, search "Playing for Change" on YouTube.

 

For good news about current events, visit the Reasons to be Cheerful website: https://tinyurl.com/27w7zs6v. This site curates stories from around the world that showcase the good in the world and promote a sense of hope, if only we seek it.

 

Humans tend to fall prey to many of the cognitive biases mentioned above. To prevent these common pitfalls, we need to seek information beyond our usual sources. Note that none of the hopeful examples cited above relate to politics, religion, or any specific ideology. Each one focuses on highlighting our potential as humans to move toward a celebration of "we the people” and a “both-and” approach to thinking.

 

In conclusion, watch any episode of John Krasinski's Some Good News on his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/SomeGoodNews) to, once again, boost your sense of hope and reaffirm that some people are trying to do something to counteract the negativity, gloom, and catastrophizing that "seems" so widespread in the world today.

 

What do you think?