Outsmarting Human Minds: A Project at Harvard University

Outsmarting Human Minds shines light on our implicit biases. Explore the mind’s blindspots with our episodes and tests, and apply insights from the science to make better decisions in life and at work.

An Introduction to OHM

The Universe Inside Your Mind

Watch

What Sentence Would You Give?: Watch for the Anchoring Bias

We’ve all heard of cases where two people receive very different sentences for committing identical crimes. One hidden bias that can influence these kinds of decisions is the Anchoring Effect.

04:17

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Foreigners in their own country: Asians in America

Ms. King and Ms. Kang are both native-born American citizens. The answer to the question "Are they both American?" may seem obvious to you... but your brain might disagree. Watch our video to learn about an implicit bias we carry that “American = White” and what this means for Asians in America today.

05:20

Demo

Are Americans Becoming Less Biased?: An Explorable Map

New research suggests that Americans are showing a reduction in some implicit biases. Explore OHM’s interactive maps to see how implicit age, race, and sexuality biases have changed from 2007 to 2016 across the U.S.

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4 Ways to Manage Stress: An Interview with Katie McLaughlin

One powerful way to turn the stress response into an advantage is to reappraise it. What are other ways to manage stress? OHM interviews stress expert Professor Katie McLaughlin.

02:45

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Make Stress Work for You: Cognitive Reappraisal

Negative stress is bad for us. But the science suggests that when reframed, the stress response actually helps us perform better. Learn about the science of cognitive reappraisal, featuring Professor Katie McLaughlin.

04:09

Demo

Should You Trust Your Vision?: An Interactive Demo

This demo, based on experiments by Professors Dan Levin and Mahzarin Banaji, lets you test a powerful illusion for yourself. Try it for yourself.

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When seeing shouldn’t be believing: Illusions at work

A common expression tells us that “seeing is believing”. But sometimes there are illusions at work, whether we’re looking at checkerboards, human faces, or resumes. Luckily, there are ways we can debunk them.

04:18

Listen

“The DNA is a Match”: Confirmation Bias

We have more information at our fingertips than ever before, but this doesn’t mean we’re making better decisions. Why? One culprit: the confirmation bias.

06:16

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The Attractiveness Halo Effect

When it comes to food, presentation and taste are connected: the eyes eat first. The science suggests we apply a similar idea to people: attractive people are seen as smarter, kinder, more moral, and so on. It’s called the attractiveness halo.

05:33

Read

Even when judges are race-fair, Afrocentric features bias...

An analysis of over 200 cases in Florida found that judges showed no racial bias in their sentencing decisions. Yet, the same analysis revealed that race was still influencing their decisions.

Test

How Well Can You Read A Face?

Do you know what “competence” looks like? Try this quiz, based on Professor Alexander Todorov’s 2005 experiment, to learn what your impressions predict.

Listen

The Availability Bias

What’s more likely: death by shark attack, or death by lightning strike? The science suggests you’ll choose “shark attack”… but that’s not the right answer. So why do so many of us agree?

05:36

Test

7 Questions That Will Make You Rethink What You Know

Which is more likely: achieving sainthood or winning the jackpot? Are you sure? This short quiz may shake your confidence, and have you asking “How do I know that’s true?”.

Test

How Good is Your Memory?

Here’s a little memory test designed by psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman (1973) to reveal a cognitive blindspot. Try it for yourself.

Test

How Often Do You Wash The Dishes?: A Test For Housemates

We all help around the house. But how much? This simple task requires having a housemate of some sort (a partner, a roommate) who’s willing to try it too. Based on the 1979 study by psychologists Michael Ross and Fiore Sicoly.

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The Pygmalion Effect

Expectations can be powerful. Even if they're never said out loud, the beliefs we carry in our minds can become self-fulfilling prophecies.

2:00

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Race Bias in Hiring: When Both Applicant and Employer Lose

In a groundbreaking study, sociologist Devah Pager showed that being Black hurts an applicant's chances of being hired just as much as a felony conviction. What do decisions based on gut instincts mean for the survival of a business?

08:56

Read

Traditional “diversity training” is out. Now what?

Data collected between 1970-2002 suggest that traditional mandatory trainings don’t work, and can even backfire. How do we create education that works?

Read

Can women be biased against other women?

The science suggests that we evaluate men’s and women’s work differently… regardless of our own gender. Why? And what can we do about it?

Watch

Strooped!

Most of us believe we can control what pieces of information influence our decisions. But when it comes down to it, can we? The Stroop Test suggests: No. Try it for yourself.