Uncovering the Benefits of Behavioral Biases: Scientists Discuss How Human and Animal Bias Can Improve Social Skills
In recent years, scientists have discovered that humans, like animals, possess behavioral biases that are not unique to our species. A recent study published in Scientific Reports sheds light on these biases and suggests that aligning them with others may lead to social benefits.
The study titled “Motor-sensory biases are associated with cognitive and social abilities in humans” discusses the visual field bias, which affects a significant portion of the population. Individuals with this bias are faster and more accurate at recognizing identities and emotions on one side of their visual field compared to the other. This bias is believed to develop in early childhood.
Research on animals has shown that having biases is common and can be beneficial. For example, chicks that peck with an eye bias are better at identifying food from pebbles, and those that monitor predators with a specific eye are less likely to be eaten. Biases free up brain resources, making animals more efficient at tasks that are critical for survival. The study found that having a bias is what matters for performance, rather than the specific direction.
While many people have a right-hand bias for motor tasks and a left visual field bias for face processing, researchers suggest that aligning with the majority may have social advantages. Animals that cooperate with the group are less likely to be targeted by predators. Those with the standard bias were not necessarily better socially, but individuals with a reversed bias were more likely to experience social difficulties and be diagnosed with conditions like autism or ADHD.
The study raises questions about why many people have these biases and their implications for understanding human behavior and development. While it does not establish a causal relationship between the reversed bias and autism or ADHD, it suggests that bias profiles could potentially be used as early markers for these conditions. Further research is needed to explore this potential link and its implications for human development.
In conclusion, while humans possess behavioral biases similar to animals’, aligning them with others may lead to social benefits such as increased cooperation within groups and reduced risk of being targeted by predators or other threats. Further research is necessary to understand how these biases impact human development and behavior fully.
