Are You Changing Your Mind Often Enough?
Thinking about: Mind optimization
When was the last time you changed your mind about something significant? Mine was last week. It happened in conjunction with an appointment to get my teeth cleaned. Dentists have X-ray machines, and they like to use them. I resist being X-rayed, though. If I were prone to getting cavities, getting routine dental X-rays would be understandable, but I have never had a cavity. And if getting X-rayed was a benign medical procedure, getting them would be no big deal, but it isn’t benign.
Scientists found this out the hard way. At the beginning of the twentieth century, X-rays were used for cosmetic reasons, such as permanent hair removal, but it subsequently became clear that the process had serious side effects. As late as the 1950s, shoe stores used X-ray machines to check the fit of shoes, but again, the exposure to X-rays proved harmful to both the clerks who operated the machines and the children whose feet were being X-rayed. By the 1960s, there was general agreement that people should be exposed to X-rays only for medically necessary purposes.
As a child, I was taught that X-rays are dangerous. The lesson stuck, and even as an adult I made a point of avoiding them. For decades, my dentist deferred to my dislike of X-rays and rarely took them. This changed, however, when I was forced to switch dentists. My new dentist pressured me to get a full set of X-rays, and to overcome my reluctance to do so, reassured me that my insurance would cover them. I responded that it wasn’t about money; it was about my health. I simply didn’t want to expose myself to medically unnecessary X-rays. When he kept pushing the issue, I switched to another dentist, only to have a similar experience; indeed, she “fired me” as a patient for refusing to get them.
It was time, I decided, to rethink my beliefs about dental X-rays. As I said, I acquired my aversion to them in childhood and have subsequently retained it. During that period, however, scientists developed a way to dramatically reduce the intensity of the X-rays needed to make an image: instead of using a phosphor screen or photographic film, they could use digital sensors. As a result, the X-ray exposure necessary to take a four-image bitewing series is equivalent to the exposure you get during a 2–3 hour airplane flight. It is, I concluded, an acceptable risk. In other words, I changed my mind about dental X-rays. And before moving on, let me state that this is doubtless only one of many mistaken beliefs that I hold.
In these posts, I have described the role that experts will play in the lives of Thinkers. Although they make a point of thinking for themselves, they will occasionally outsource their thinking to someone who knows far more about a subject than they do. This will be the case if they experience a sudden sharp pain in their abdomen or if their heater stops working on the coldest day of the year. They will, however, choose their experts with care. They will assess potential experts by asking questions. In particular, they will ask them to explain and justify their recommendations. If an individual is unwilling or unable to answer such questions, the Thinker will conclude that their “expertise” is not to be trusted.
Along these lines, a dentist who justifies giving X-rays by saying “It’s our policy to do so” probably isn’t a good candidate for surrogate thinker. Likewise, a dentist who claims, incorrectly, that the state dental board requires that X-rays be given every six months—which is what one of my dentists told me—is not to be trusted.
In doing research on the safety of dental X-rays, by the way, I came across evidence that dentists do indeed give more X-rays than is medically necessary. It would appear that their medical judgment is distorted by economic factors: Giving X-rays is an easy way to boost per-visit revenues. I concluded that I have three options. I could forgo getting my teeth cleaned, I could argue with dentists whenever I wanted to get them cleaned and maybe have to routinely switch dentists, or I could bite the bullet—more precisely, bite the bitewing—and resist getting X-rayed but not refuse the procedure outright. Life is short, so I have chosen this last option.
I will leave you with a question: Are you changing your mind often enough? Feelers are generally reluctant to change their mind because doing so is an admission that what they previously believed was mistaken. Feelers don’t like to be mistaken and really don’t like to admit their mistakes to others. By way of contrast, Thinkers search for their mistakes and take delight in finding and eradicating them. It is evidence, after all, that they are progressing toward their mind-optimization goal.