The Problem Of Confirmation Bias When Searching For Symptoms Online
Today, the Internet is essential for both individual and global development in all areas of society, from entertainment to work performance, through obtaining knowledge, socialization, finding a partner and many other things. According to the document Digital around the world in 2019, 4,388 million people surf the Internet worldwide, which implies 57% global penetration.
China is in the lead in terms of the number of users (8,000,000), while Ethiopia is at the bottom, as only 1.9% of the entire population in the region has accessed the internet at some point. of their life. Today, access to the Internet is not a matter of tastes and preferences, but of social status. Low-income areas are characterized by a very low user rate, and this is accompanied by poor economic and social development.
The Internet is essential for economic momentum and growth as individuals, but it also has its consequences. In 2020, it was estimated that, on average, we spent about 6 hours and 54 minutes connected to the network, working, chatting, getting to know each other, and much more. The most normal thing is that, when something hurts us, we search the Internet to find out what could happen to us to stay calm, right? Based on this premise, we will see what it consists of the problem of confirmation bias when searching for symptoms online.
Confirmation bias is a concept that is based on a simple premise: human beings have the tendency to acquire or evaluate new information in a way that is consistent with preexisting ideas. This means that, as a species, we tend to actively look for what reinforces what we already thought before embarking on the search for knowledge and, therefore, we quickly dismiss what we do not agree with.
We are all “guilty” (or victims) of this bias, because to write these lines, every author will look for studies that describe how confirmation bias works, not whether it exists or not in the first instance. Furthermore, things get even more interesting when we discover that confirmation bias It not only affects how we search for information, but also disrupts the way we perceive it and what we remember (learn) from it..
Confirmation bias in the search, processing and memory of information leads to 4 specific events. These are the following:
These terminological ramifications all come from the same root: confirmation bias and how we perceive information. Inherently, We look for what already makes us right, and this can become a problem at all levels.: scientific, political, social and, as we will see below, also medical.
Confirmation bias and patient symptomatology
It is easy to apply all this theory in the symptomatological field of a patient. If a person has a headache, they can search on the Internet to find out what causes this pain. Surely, in the “symptoms” section of any verified government website (such as the Mayo Clinic or the National Library of Medicine of the United States) many possible causes of this clinical sign will appear, but, almost always, the patient will focus his attention on the worst of them all.
Here another phenomenon comes into play, known as “negativity bias” or negative effect.. We are not going to dwell much on his theory, since it is enough for us to know that, according to this postulation, when faced with two events of the same intensity, the bad thing weighs much more than the neutral or positive thing.
Inherently, our species focuses on bad things, surely due to the genetic imprint we inherited from the ancestors who once walked the Earth. Observing negative events in nature increases survival, as those who detect possible dangers learn to act prematurely when the threat is real.
Thus, of all the possible symptoms for headache, it is possible that the patient will be left with the brain tumor, since it is the worst of the available options. From now on, You will begin to search for information only about this pathology and, unconsciously, you will be selecting only that which supports your already established belief.: “I have a brain tumor.”
Depending on the patient’s degree of anxiety and vulnerability, they may begin to somatize their emotions. He believes that something hurts him, so he worries, suffers and the body shows organic pain without a real physical cause to channel these negative feelings. It is the fish that bites its tail: “I worry because something hurts me and something hurts because I worry.”
Confirmation bias and hypochondria
Until now, we have moved on theoretical grounds, but it is time to put these postulations into practice. Medical portals estimate that up to 30% of patients who go to primary care centers do not have an organic cause for their pain. Furthermore, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4 to 9% of patients in medical practice show hypochondriacal features.
From a psychological point of view, hypochondria is defined as a condition in which the person is excessively worried about the idea of having a serious illness. The patient spends a considerable part of his time searching for possible symptoms of “his illness” on the Internet, usually presents symptoms of generalized anxiety and/or depression, does not remain calm despite medical diagnoses and constantly checks himself to confirm that Your symptoms are real.
Thus, we see how two currents converge at the same point: one could say that Negativity bias and confirmation bias when searching for symptoms on the Internet favor the appearance of anxiety and hypochondriasince they make it easier for the patient to dedicate an unhealthy amount of their time to corroborating the self-imposed idea that they have a serious pathology.
Breaking the cycle is possible
Breaking this feedback cycle (something hurts-I look for symptoms-I worry-it hurts more) is possible, but always with the relevant psychological help. Cognitive-behavioral therapies will help the patient control their impulsesstop continually self-analyzing and, above all, do not look for the symptoms of your discomfort on online portals and visit the doctor every time you feel that something is not right.
The general premise is simple: if you feel persistent discomfort, go to the doctor, but if you have already been told that everything is fine, don’t look for further reasons for concern. Living beings are open systems and, as such, it is normal that sometimes something hurts us or we see some sporadic physiological imbalance. This is almost never a sign of a serious illness, so stay calm and don’t rush at the keyboard. If you see that this is not possible, go seek psychological help. We are not born learned and knowing how to control our impulses is key to ending confirmation bias.
