The most basic principle of the brain is to save energy.
Every life has one of the most basic instincts, which is to live and reproduce – this is a mechanism written in the genes.
As long as life forms survive, they need to consume energy, and for the brain, the most energy-consuming thing is thinking.
This explains why the latter is chosen when reading and entertainment come together.
After all, making games is much more energy-efficient than reading books.
The brain, which makes up only 2% of our body weight, consumes 20% of the energy we consume throughout the day.
Think of the brain as a budget-conscious guy who wants to get a tenfold return on every resource spent.
As a result, most things want to be understood and dealt with quickly by taking shortcuts. Because this is the most labor-saving and energy-saving.
This principle explains many phenomena in our lives, such as "stereotypes".
In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth is disgusted by Mr. Darcy at the ball for the first time when she sees him at the ball.
Later, from the mouth of the officer Wickham, Elizabeth heard a lot about Darcy, all of which were about how arrogant and rude Darcy was, how he looked down on no one, and how he was annoying, and Elizabeth was even more prejudiced.
Because of prejudice, she doesn't know that listening to someone else's prejudice without substantiation is a folly in itself.
If a person believes too much in what he sees and hears, and comments before he understands everything, he is often prone to errors and prejudices.
Any self-righteous comment without knowing the truth of the matter is biased.
Back to our daily life, it is always easy for people to label others, for example: Northeast people must be very good at chatting, Cantonese people eat everything, programmers are not good at words, and people engaged in sales must be outgoing and ......
These knee-jerk reactions can often help us establish a preliminary judgment about a stranger, but it can also easily lead us into fixed thinking.
Why are there stereotypes?
The reason for this is that if we do a thorough and detailed investigation of every stranger we meet, it will become an extremely energy-intensive task.
So the brain takes a shortcut to extract a fuzzy pattern from it and applies these patterns to strangers, although there will be deviations, but it is more troublesome than understanding the whole year.
Stereotypes can lead to prejudice and discrimination against certain people or groups.
For example, for people whose faces are not too festive, they will feel that this person has a bitter face, a rough life, and is unwilling to be friends with her because they don't want to have the same miserable fate as her.
Because stereotypes discriminate against others, which affects interpersonal communication and social harmony.
Stereotypes can hinder an individual's career and personal development.
For example, some people may be confined to a certain field or position because of stereotypes and are unable to perform to their full potential.
*。How to eliminate "stereotypes"?
1.Increasing understanding:
Don't make an evaluation right away, give yourself and others some time to get to know each other, and learn about the other side of others through observation and communication.
2.Respect for differences:
It is precisely because of the differences between people that they feel that life is rich and colorful. Respect the uniqueness and differences of each person, and avoid using immutable standards to measure and evaluate others.
3.Multiple perspectives:
Try to look at things from multiple perspectives and don't limit yourself to your own experiences and perceptions. This can help us understand things more holistically and reduce the impact of stereotypes.
4.Communicate on an equal footing:
Communicate with others equally, openly, and sincerely, respecting each other's views and feelings. This helps us build more harmonious relationships and reduce the negative effects of stereotypes.
In short, understanding the brain in order to save energy casually teaches us a way of discernment - "stereotypes".
It is precisely because energy conservation often lacks judgment on things that leads to misjudgment. If we need to strengthen our understanding of long-term relationships, we can gradually reduce the impact of stereotypes and form a more comprehensive, objective and fair understanding.