Wouldn’t it be lovely if everyone in the world was a perfectly rational, reasonable person? If we all saw things as they really were? If we learned to think carefully and humbly before we spoke? To be sure, it wouldn’t be a perfect world, nor would it guarantee that we’d always agree. But it might cut down on the number of unnecessary conflicts that plague us, disagreements that might never even have happened if we just paused long enough to think things through.

It’s a nice thought. Is it a realistic one?

Probably not. But there’s always room for improvement.

There’s a substantial literature on what researchers call our cognitive biases. These are the numerous and well-documented ways that our thinking is pre-bent in particular ways. These biases typically operate automatically and outside of conscious awareness. We’ve noted one already in the previous post: a negativity bias, or the common predisposition to pay more attention to negative events than positive ones. Another is called confirmation bias: once we form an opinion on something, we tend to notice only the things that support that opinion. We pay attention to what tells us we’re right, and ignore or are blind to whatever suggests we’re wrong.

We can be trained, to some extent, to notice our biases. But because they operate so quickly and invisibly, it takes an act of will and a healthy dose of humility to de-bias our thinking. Even when we think we’ve gotten good at it, we may be victims of a bias blind spot: we see the biases in other people’s thinking, but not in our own.

Brother, let me take that speck from your eye…

Still, when seen from a psychological point of view, there’s an element of de-biasing in what Paul tells the Philippians. Remember the situation: the church is facing persecution; they are anxious; there is conflict within the ranks. Paul tells them not to be anxious, but to see everything in light of God’s promised future, reminding them that Jesus is near. And he tells them to take everything to God in prayer.

But note what he says next:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Phil 4:8, NRSVUE)

“Think about these things.” It’s less about thinking like a philosopher and more about thinking like an accountant. Anxiety and negativity bias inclines us toward seeing only the debit column in the ledger of life. What might help us see past the losses to the gains? Again, it takes an act of will, a decision to open our minds and hearts, and turn our attention in that direction.

Oh, and an outright command from a trusted apostle wouldn’t hurt.

We may struggle to notice and amend our unintentional biases. But we can choose where we focus the beam of our attention. If we notice ourselves going down a rabbit hole of negativity, we can stop and look for any “excellent” or “praiseworthy” aspects of the situation or person instead.

It’s worth thinking about.