How to Train Yourself to Be More Open

Key points

There are common reasoning traps that can significantly hinder open-minded thinking.

In a research study, a mindset shift made participants better at distinguishing facts from falsehoods.

The findings suggest that open-mindedness is not fixed but can be strengthened through simple interventions.

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.

Cultivating open-mindedness or intellectual humility can help protect us against