Thinking clearly and logically is key to good decisions and accurate judgment. Learning about errors in thinking can improve your objectivity.

Chances are, you’re confident in your ability to think logically when making decisions or sizing up a person or situation. So you may be surprised to learn you might not be as clear-eyed and rational as you think you are.

“Thinking logically isn’t always easy—we all make decisions based only loosely on fact, judge people on the basis of inadequate information, and jump to conclusions based on prejudices without even realizing it,” says Gillian Butler, Ph.D., coauthor of Managing Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide. “However, clearer thought processes can be accomplished by asking yourself: Am I being objective or am I being swayed by my assumptions, emotions, or snap judgments?”

Becoming aware of the following common mistakes can improve your ability to make decisions and solve problems.

• Being misled by your beliefs and opinions.

  “Overcoming bias and prejudice is very difficult because they’re hard to uncover and resistant to change,” says Butler. “The ways we learn to think and the ways we form beliefs make them hard to amend. We build up a body of information that fits with our beliefs, and then our beliefs color the way we see things.”

  Knowing what your assumptions are and becoming aware of how they might influence your reasoning can help you keep them from interfering with your ability to draw logical conclusions.

  “Prejudices, such as beliefs about ethnic characteristics or differences between the sexes, are beliefs that may bias your judgment,” Butler adds.

  When you come across people or situations that don’t fit your preconceptions, think about them and ask yourself if your old beliefs need modifying.

• Being misled by what springs to mind. Information that readily comes to mind on a subject can have a disproportionate effect on your opinions and reasoning.

  “The trouble is, your first take on an issue is often determined by extraneous factors, such as your most recent experience with it, especially if it was vivid or emotionally charged, and this can have an undue influence on the way you think about it,” Butler explains.

  To ensure against this bias, take your time when thinking something through. Snap judgments are more likely to be unduly influenced by irrelevancies than considered ones.

• Being misled by associations. When you think superficial similarities in people, events, or circumstances are the same as underlying truths, you’re being misled by associations, which can lead you to make false conclusions.

  “To ensure against this bias, when you think two people or situations are similar, ask yourself how they differ,” Butler suggests. “And check out your expectations, as well. Ask yourself what you’re basing them on.”

• Being misled by the influence of others. People tend to believe people they admire, even when their opinions on a subject may not be well-informed. Hence, the power of product endorsements by athletes and movie stars.

  To avoid this, evaluate opinions carefully, consider the source of information before using it, and make up your own mind based on a clear representation of the facts.

“Becoming aware of the possible errors in your thinking is the main resource you can draw upon to improve your objectivity,” says Butler. “The clearer you think, the better you’ll be at making decisions, solving problems, and keeping things in perspective.

Barbara Floria spoke with Gillian Butler, Ph.D., coauthor of Managing Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide, Oxford University Press, 2007, $16.95.

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