Recognizing Default Responses

Regarding any idea that we hear, we have an automatic default response.  There are certain words or triggers that we may hear that make our minds automatically react in a certain way.  This is not a positive nor a negative thing, but it is something that is very important to keep in mind.  Say, for instance, that you are having a conversation about the current presidential election.  Politics is one aspect of the world that people previously have and always will have a very strong default response.  Especially this election in particular.  We already have a default response to presidential elections based off of  factors such as party affiliation, past actions, gender, and as much as we hate to admit it, race.  When we hear people call Hillary a crook or Trump a racist, there are certain responses that we all automatically go to.  Lots of times we will go to these default responses not because of our deep knowledge of the subject, but because of past happenings that have shaped our thinking.  This is impossible to avoid, but it is something we must keep it in mind moving forward.

We usually have our mind made up before we even know it.  When an idea is introduced to us, there are certain key words that will trigger a certain response from each of us.  Each of our responses will be just a little bit different based off of what has happened to us.  I am personally pro-choice and this affects the way that I respond to a lot of different situations.  As I stated earlier, it decides where I side with the election.  It also shapes how I respond to anyone when they bring up the pro-life vs. pro-choice debate.  One thing I think that we all make these responses towards hundreds of times per day is clothing.  When people are wearing a shirt and tie, I automatically assume they have a very nice job, often times from 9-5.  In contrast, when I see people wearing a pair of Nike shorts, a t-shirt and tennis shoes, I automatically assume that they are an athletically inclined and that we would have lots in common.

These responses are actually somewhat cool when you step back to think about.  There are certain key words or actions that automatically make us react a certain way to almost everything.  It is somewhat mind-boggling that our decisions can often times be made by little experiences or beliefs that we have come to follow.  We have learned through previous experiences what we like and what we dislike and we have learned to automatically associate these likes and dislikes with certain keys which are very easy to pull out.  These shape the way that we think and the way that we view many aspects of our life.  We need to make an effort in our day-to-day lives to recognize when we have these default responses.  Once we are able to recognize this, we are able to open our mind to other ideas because we are not as close-minded as we were before.  We then know when there is something that we are reacting to based off of these responses and are able to step back and actually evaluate the situation and what other evidence is being presented to us rather than what we automatically think of the certain situation.