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According to Mollie Teitelbaum, the little things that annoy us about others can be more detrimental than we think.

鈥淟earning we have unjust subconscious beliefs that don鈥檛 line up with our conscious ones is a little disturbing,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been socially conditioned to have all sorts of implicit biases. When they apply to social groups, like race and gender, we know they鈥檙e bad. But sometimes, we endorse our biases.鈥�

Teitelbaum is a senior majoring in philosophy and comparative literature. She spoke about implicit biases in a talk called 鈥淪o that鈥檚 why you annoy me! Combating peccadillic implicit bias鈥� March 26, at TEDx海角乱伦社区University at the Osterhout Concert Theater. The idea discussed in the talk was developed as part of Teitelbaum鈥檚 honors thesis in philosophy.

These subtle biases come into play when we are faced with 鈥減eccadillos,鈥� Teitelbaum said. Peccadillos are harmless behaviors that could be considered offensive to others, such as having a big ego or chewing loudly.

鈥淭o describe biases like these that target peccadillos, I coined the term 鈥榩eccadillic implicit bias,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淲e tend to react to things that disgust us like they鈥檙e immoral, but really they just break social norms.鈥�

Teitelbaum said these biases are broken up into three categories: personality-based biases toward traits we dislike; value-based biases toward values we disapprove of; and disgust-based biases toward habits that repulse us. Explicit biases are ones we are aware of, while implicit ones can be more dangerous.

鈥淭he traits and habits that bother us out of proportion don鈥檛 merit the treatment that inevitably follows,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ubconsciously, they 鈥榦ther鈥� you, treating you less kindly all of the time and withholding opportunities from you.鈥�

As an example, Teitelbaum cited the implicit weight bias. Implicit biases link being overweight with incompetence and laziness. She also said doctors with this bias have been shown to demonstrate lower levels of care to overweight patients.

These biases can present in small ways, too: using an agitated tone with someone or avoiding eye contact can be a side affect of implicit biases.

鈥淢icro-inequities are small acts that communicate disapproval, and often go unnoticed by the person who鈥檚 doing them,鈥� Teitelbaum said.

According to Teitelbaum, we are more tolerant of our own peccadillos than of those we see in others.

鈥淭his inconsistency with how we perceive peccadillos in ourselves versus in others can be explained by a funny psychological phenomenon,鈥� she said. 鈥淎ctor-observer bias makes us forgiving of our own faults, and harsh on everyone else鈥檚.鈥�

But there鈥檚 good news: We don鈥檛 have to fall prey to our biases.

鈥淲e can overcome this intense double standard by applying the same compassionate rationale we afford ourselves to others,鈥� Teitelbaum said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the first step in de-biasing: critical analysis of our peccadillic biases.鈥�

Taking a look at the things that annoy you about other people is crucial to avoiding bias. Teitelbaum said once you notice this, thinking about why a person might be doing the behavior can help. She calls these 鈥渋mplementation interventions.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 sitting in class taking notes. Someone participates, and he speaks for five minutes,鈥� she said.  鈥淭his triggers my implementation intervention about ego, but I have to remember that confidence is good and it could be his defense mechanism.鈥�

Teitelbaum said these biases that affect us on a day-to-day basis can have larger social implications as well.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a risk of large-scale social injustice when peccadillos are associated with social groups,鈥� she said. 鈥淧rejudiced action rooted in social group membership is a particularly dangerous breed of injustice. This only raises the stakes for combating peccadillic implicit biases.鈥�

Teitelbaum ended her talk with one last piece of advice to be mindful of implicit biases.

鈥淚t won鈥檛 just make you kinder,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l actually be less annoyed all of the time.鈥�