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If you can’t explain to others why you believe the things you do, then it’s unlikely you can explain your beliefs to yourself – and that’s not a good sign.

It may seem odd, but a lot of people don’t know exactly what they believe until they are called upon to describe those beliefs out-loud and explain why they have them.

Instead, most of us take our beliefs and “map of reality” for granted. We just assume it is reality, without questioning why we think that in the first place.

Where do many of our beliefs come from? A lot of our beliefs are based on what we were taught growing up by our parents and teachers. We adopt those beliefs at a young age when we aren’t even capable of thinking critically about them yet.

Every now and then, it’s important that we reflect on our beliefs and ask ourselves: 1) What do I really believe, 2) Why do I believe that?, 3) How has that belief changed over the years?

Naturally, we feel strongly about our beliefs and we cling to them. We always want to be right, because it hurts when we are proven wrong. Sometimes we even hold onto misinformation even when we’ve been told it was incorrect.

It’s hard to break old beliefs. And that’s why it’s super important that we think about them, discuss them, and question them if we want to keep our minds sharp.

Upon inspection, we often find that our beliefs aren’t as solid and convincing as we initially thought. This is one of the main reasons we should frequently challenge our beliefs whenever possible.



Intelligence bias: We overestimate how much we think we know

In one study published in Cognitive Science, they asked participants how well they thought they knew about how everyday devices worked (such as a piano key, a sewing machine, or a zipper), then they had them explain their answers.

The main finding was that people tend to overestimate how much they think they know. For example, when asked to explain how a zipper works, most people realized they didn’t really know once they were called upon to describe it. It seems so simple and familiar to us, but most of us don’t know the details behind it when we really stop to think about it.

This effect is referred to as “the illusion of explanatory depth.” It’s our tendency to overestimate how well we think we understand something.

In another study published in Psychological Science, researchers asked participants what their political beliefs were, how well they thought they understood certain policies associated with those beliefs, and then had them defend those beliefs.

Just like in the first study, participants overestimated how much they thought they knew about their political beliefs and how the policies they advocated would actually play out in the real world.

More surprisingly, once individuals were called upon to give this “mechanistic explanation” of how they thought certain policies would work – and once they became more aware of their own ignorance – they actually changed their political positions to something more moderate.

This can be seen as promising, since it shows that when individuals are directly confronted with their ignorance (and their inability to explain their beliefs more in-depth), then they are more willing to adjust those beliefs.





The Healthy Challenge of Explaining Your Beliefs

Challenging your beliefs is one of the central components of scientific-based therapies such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). However, it requires a willingness to prove yourself wrong and question long-held assumptions about yourself and the world around you.

The main idea behind CBT is that many people, especially those who suffer from depression or anxiety, have unhealthy and unrealistic beliefs (or “thought patterns”) about themselves that have a negative influence on how they think, feel, and act in their daily lives.

Some of these can even become self-fulfilling beliefs where “negative beliefs” → “negative behaviors” → “negative outcomes” → “negative beliefs”… in a never-ending feedback loop.

The best way to break out of this cycle is to challenge your beliefs more – and be willing to become more flexible in your thinking.

One of the best ways to challenge your beliefs is to try and explain them – especially trying to articulate them to an outside audience. Healthy suggestions include…

Sharing your beliefs with friends and family.

Writing about your beliefs in a journal or blog.

Having a friendly debate with someone who disagrees with you.

Presenting a lecture or speech to an audience.

Teaching something to someone (as a tutor or in a classroom).

Sharing your beliefs on social media (get ready for feedback!).

Talking to a therapist or coach (like me!)

Getting an outside perspective from a complete stranger.

Thinking out-loud to yourself (programmer’s call it the “rubber duck” technique)

The basic idea is to identify your beliefs and elaborate on them as much as possible. Really dig into them and see where they come from and how they relate to other beliefs you have – and your overall worldview .

When you challenge yourself to explain yourself more, you sharpen your thinking and perspective.



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