True objectivity is a myth.

Years ago, when a certain politician was accused of misdeeds, I was convinced the charges were false. At one point, a teacher of mine asked me what information would change my opinion. The question made me uncomfortable. What’s more, I had no answer, which made me even more uncomfortable. This experience changed how I think about bias.

Whenever I begin a qualitative research study, one of my first actions is to conduct what I call a bias audit. This is when I think about my ingoing assumptions. Whenever possible, I encourage other stakeholders in the research to do the same. A bias audit involves asking yourself a series of questions. I’ve been compiling this list of questions for many years now, and it’s grown quite long. But here are a few of the most important ones:

• What do I want to be true? Acknowledging that there are results for which you are hoping is key to being aware of your own biases.

• Am I holding all points of view to the same standard? It’s natural to be easy on information that is consistent with our hopes and expectations, and tough on information we don’t like.

• What would change my mind? This may be the most important question of all. If the answer is nothing, or if you can’t think of anything, red flag! This suggests that you’re not engaging in true inquiry, and just seeking to confirm your beliefs.

A lot of factors work against our viewing things objectively and dispassionately:

• Our tribal nature. Information that is inconsistent with the values of our family or social group can feel threatening.

• Disfavoring uncertainty. Ambiguity makes us uncomfortable. So, we dislike changing our opinions, questions that don’t have answers and problems that don’t have solutions. Sometimes, a bad answer is better than none.

• Cognitive biases. There are numerous reasoning errors that, as a researcher, I’m always on the lookout for: confirmation bias, the illusory truth effect, the false consensus effect, just to name a few.

Given how much is working against us, it’s miraculous that we can be even a little bit objective. So, what do we do about this? Well, the bias audit – whether formal or informal – is a great tool. I also believe in having a sounding board. Run your thinking by friends, family or colleagues and encourage them to challenge your assumptions.

But mostly, realize that you’ll never be fully neutral – bias is the default, and impartiality is a risky self-deception. Remember what the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu once said, “The illusion of objectivity is the most dangerous illusion of all.”