Countering 'Champion bias'

November 2016

(Source: Google)

Watching "Enough said", a critically acclaimed romantic comedy-drama film, got me thinking about the 'lesser discussed cousin of the cognitive biases family' - champion bias. This movie is about Eva, a divorced masseuse who unexpectedly finds herself dating her friend's ex-husband Albert. The beauty of the film lies in its honest and realistic depiction of life. Eva likes Albert, finds his idiosyncrasies cute, and bursts into laughter at his weird jokes. Around the same time she becomes friends with a successful poet and looks upto her for advice. She eventually stumbles upon the fact that Albert is her friend's ex-husband, but doesn't reveal her respective relationship to either of them. Eva is stupiefied that all the things she finds endearing about Albert, are the exact same aspects that her friend finds repulsive! Her dialogue from the movie says it all, "I have lost all perspective. I've been listening to this woman say the worst things about the guy that I'm starting to really like. She's like a human Trip Advisor. If you could avoid staying at a bad hotel, wouldn't you?"

Now you must be wondering why Eva was listening to her friend. She mentions quite a few reasons '(a) She is afraid of dating the wrong guy, how it will impact her life and her daughter (b) She believes her friend is smart and (c) The friend says she needs Eva as there is no other person with whom she has this personal bond.' Sounds familiar? All of us have at some point either been in or seen one of our close friends in this predicament. One or a combination of factors such as fear of failure, putting people on a pedestal because they are successful et al leads to this phenomenon called champion bias. The main conflict here is differentiating facts from opinions. As we are all aware, facts and opinions are often mistakenly used instead of one another!

              

(Source: Google)

This champion bias is evident in the workplace too - the colleagues who are considered champions by virtue of their experience either in the same company or industry, and their opinions often become the thumb rule for decision making. Sifting facts from opinions is easier said than done, and data mining and analysis might or might not yield the intended results :P

           

           

(Source: Google)

Shifting gears back to the movie track, Eva starts getting influenced by her friend's opinions, and her relationship with Albert deteriorates. They break up, but the movie ends on a positive note with both of them working on renewing their relationship. I believe that most of us are vulnerable to champion bias in personal choices, especially our relationships. Your close friend not liking your partner's sense of humour or dressing is an opinion which he/she is entitled to, what's important is how you feel about it and how you communicate that without picking on your partner. And this is the only relationship tip you will get from a person whose sole criteria for companionship is "someone who is compatible with my idiosyncrasies;)" (and yes my prayers are answered)!

As I love playing the devil's advocate, I am going to ask the counter questions too - Isn't it a good idea to follow an expert's advice or discuss ideas with friends as sounding boards? Shouldn't we learn vicariously from other people's experiences and save our time & effort by not falling into unforseen pitfalls? If your instincts say otherwise, then the popular or the tried & tested approach is not the right way to go. I know this might sound clichéd, but as unique individuals traversing on our own respective journeys, we have to be conscious that one size does not fit all. Trusting your instincts is key - be it your life partner or a career choice or a business decision. Gather as much data points as possible to ensure that you make an informed decision, but let the final decision be yours. 

(Source: Google)