Implicit Bias Explained

There is a buzz going around about our implicit biases and how they influence our behavior. I have received many e-mails asking for an explanation on this term.

Implicit bias (simply defined) is the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.

For example:

We can all agree that unattractive children should get the same positive attention and praise as attractive children. However, research shows less attractive children get less positive attention and more negative attention. 

Having implicit biases can cause stress in our own lives. They leave us wondering why we feel a certain way about something when we know we believe something different.

Here is an amazing website that tests implicit bias. The tests take a while and should be done privately. Check it out. This is good stuff.

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/selectatest.html