Brain Bias – Common Questions, 2

Is the brain innately biased? Turns out the brain does have an innate bias that relates to “safety.” Some studies suggest that the fastest determination the brain ever makes is “Am I safe?” The safety evaluation is triggered whenever the brain sees anything unfamiliar for the first time. For example, when it encounters another human being for the first time , it makes a nano-second-fast evaluation: •        Have I seen this person? •        Have I seen someone similar before? •        Is the person like me or different from me? •        Am I SAFE? Depending on the brain’s assessment, it prompts you to approach or withdraw—to “move forward toward” or to “move back away from”—the person.

Is safety the only bias the brain has?  (more tomorrow)