Why do some football fans view the same game differently?

Julia: If you show the same fowl or goal to two rival football fans, they'll probably see it differently. And that's because our experiences and expectations shape the way our brains react. So this means that if we already think poorly of, say, a certain football player, we are more likely to look for ways that they contributed towards that foul or conceded a goal. Our perception is also influenced by the groups with which we identify. So if you put two rival football fans into MRI brain scanners and you show them the exact same information, they seem to process this differently depending on whether they are a Man United fan or a Chelsea fan. And this difference appears to be strongest in the brain areas associated with reward. So that might explain why we have such a drive to belong in groups. Now, being a member of a group can of course be a force for good. But when something like social media algorithms are constantly highlighting the differences between groups, this is when we can get more extreme views. Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Maria Ressa calls this tribalism.

Maria: We've always had it, but it's never been as powerful as it is today. And it was really pushed by one algorithm chosen by these platforms. All of them use the friends of friends to grow.

Julia: One way of overriding our biases is to look for information or people that disprove our views.

Tim: An important aspect of guarding against group bias is to interact with people who are not in our group, try and understand them as individuals, and try and understand their ideas.

Julia: So next time you go to call out the ref for making a wrong decision, it might be that your loyalties are getting between you and the truth.