Actively believe that changing your mind is a desirable trait, not a sign of weakness or stupidity, and recognize that you likely hold incorrect beliefs that, if updated, would lead to better decisions.
Don’t just passively accept new evidence; actively seek out information that might challenge your existing beliefs, rather than only looking for evidence that supports what you already believe.
Become more attuned to your emotional reactions (e.g., defensiveness, anxiety, subtle concerns) as they occur, as these can serve as important clues to your blind spots and areas where you might be flinching away from uncomfortable truths.
To clarify your thinking and test your beliefs, ask yourself: ‘What do I expect to see differently in the world if this claim is true?’ This forces you to make your beliefs concrete and potentially disprovable by evidence.
Translate abstract advice like ‘be open-minded’ into concrete, habit-based ’trigger-action plans.’ For example, if you read an article you disagree with (trigger), consciously look for reasons to agree with it or not reject it (action).
Understand the respective strengths and weaknesses of intuitive (System 1) and logical (System 2) thinking, and learn to get them to communicate, rather than ignoring or suppressing intuition.
To build an accurate model of the world, prioritize reliable reasoning processes such as synthesizing opinions of top experts or looking at randomized controlled trials, rather than making things up or believing random people.
When unsure of the optimal path to achieve a goal, focus on ruling out clearly suboptimal or ‘stupid’ choices as a first step, as this is often low-hanging fruit and a practical way to improve decisions.
Do not expect others to behave rationally or change their minds solely based on facts and evidence, as this expectation itself is often irrational given human psychology.
When evaluating an argument from someone you dislike, mentally reframe it by imagining someone you like said the exact same thing to check if your reaction is unfairly biased by your feelings towards the person.
Develop awareness of physical signs of emotional reactions (e.g., body tensing up, leaning aggressively or anxiously) as these can indicate how emotions are influencing your information processing.
Consider practices like meditation or martial arts to develop greater self-awareness, particularly in detecting physical and emotional states that influence reasoning.
When teaching or guiding others, or even for self-learning, lead through a reasoning process with questions rather than simply providing answers, to make the learning more satisfying and memorable.
Cultivate an ability to notice when something doesn’t make sense, even when presented with a serious tone, to foster critical thinking and avoid being easily misled.
To change ingrained habits of thought and behavior, engage in longer-term practice on real-life issues, rather than just learning about biases or solving toy problems.
When thinking about goals for instrumental rationality, include less obvious but important values like feeling connected to others, finding meaning, or experiencing pleasure (e.g., through art), as these are often neglected but crucial for well-being.
Be aware that it’s easy to create uncertainty or a false sense of certainty by selectively presenting studies or expert quotes that support a desired claim, even if the overall body of evidence suggests otherwise.
When seeking evidence for a belief (e.g., a diet), be aware of the tendency to find only studies that support your pre-existing idea, and acknowledge that a broader search might reveal contradictory evidence.
When trying to help the world, step back from automatic emotional reactions and use evidence to identify the most effective and efficient ways to make an impact, recognizing that some methods or charities are orders of magnitude more effective than others.
Understand that techniques like scarcity, social proof, and reciprocity (from Cialdini’s “Influence”) can effectively change minds without relying on facts or logic, and consider the ethical implications before using them or to protect yourself from them.