How to Train Yourself to Be More Open-Minded

"When we talk about media literacy, the focus is often on skills such as checking sources, spotting logical fallacies, or identifying manipulated images. This approach, sometimes called "prebunking," aims to expose people to common misinformation tactics before they encounter them in the wild. These strategies are valuable, and I've both studied and advocated for them. But our mindset matters too."

"Researchers conducted two experiments to test whether people could be "prebunked" against the common pitfalls of closed-minded thinking. Participants received a brief message reminding them that most people agree it's important to weigh evidence carefully (a subtle use of social norms). Then they were warned about five common reasoning traps: Being overconfident in your position Ignoring alternative viewpoints Believing you understand something until asked to explain it Only seeking evidence that supports your opinion Twisting all evidence to fit your view"

Two experiments tested whether a brief mindset intervention could reduce closed-minded reasoning and strengthen Actively Open-Minded Thinking (AOT). Participants received a short social-norms reminder about weighing evidence and a warning listing five common reasoning traps: overconfidence, ignoring alternatives, illusion of understanding, confirmation bias, and twisting evidence. The intervention produced significant increases in AOT versus a control group. Increased AOT led to measurable improvements in the ability to separate facts from falsehoods and generated downstream effects on reasoning. The findings indicate that open-mindedness and intellectual humility can be strengthened through simple, brief interventions.

Read at Psychology Today