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Your Surroundings Mirror Your Beliefs

And they were especially likely to seek out confirming opinions on such topics as religion, politics or ethics, Albarracin said.

Researchers have debated this topic for some time, trying to figure out exactly why people don't tend to be exposed to contradicting points of view, Albarracin noted.

"One argument is that it's not that you are purposefully trying to seek confirmation: if you are a Democrat, you're more likely to be surrounded by Democratic information," she said. "The other point of view is that it is by choice. It makes you feel a lot better to confirm what you already believe than risk feeling like a fool or confused, having these more uncertain feelings."

But there are exceptions, she added. "One class of folks are what we called 'defensively confident,'" she said, noting that they will actively seek out opposing points of view.

"These are the folks who like to go into debate," she added. "They feel super-confident. They go and read anything and refute it."

On the other hand, people with the most firm beliefs are less likely to seek out other opinions. "The more dogmatic and close-minded you are, the worse the bias is," Albarracin said.

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Susan Cody

Mental Health Guide