We make about 1,000 split-second decisions daily, most driven by unconscious stereotypes we don't actually believe in. Psychologist Keith Payne's research shows these implicit biases shape choices about race, religion, and background. Slowing down your decisions helps you choose based on what you actually value instead.
During an average day, you probably make 1,000 split decisions, and most of those decisions work out well, and most of those decisions you actually believe in. But Keith Payne has actually— he's a psychologist— he has researched this and found that a lot of these split decisions are based on stereotypes that we actually do not honestly believe in. Stereotypes for most of us are associated with judging other people because of their backgrounds or because of, God forbid, the color of their skin or their religion or something like that. We all do that to some degree, whether or not we recognize it and whether or not we admit to it. But the point here is different. The point is, if all these split decisions that we make are made based on something we actually don't believe in, maybe slowing down your decision-making process would be a good idea to make fewer split decisions and make sure that what you actually decide is founded on something that you truly believe in rather than just some stereotype that you carry with you.
