The Value of Ice Cream

How amazing is it that we can scientifically study and learn about human goodness? I just read “Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness” by Dr. Jamil Zaki, and found the whole book thought-provoking and have been especially into his take on values versus beliefs.

Values are broad, abstract guiding principles for an individual or an organization, while beliefs are specific convictions about what is true -- and the terms are often conflated. What’s tricky, and where opportunity lies, is that beliefs should be malleable and evolve based on learned facts and experiences, whereas values tend to be more firmly planted.

I VALUE delicious ice cream. True to my Ohio roots, I BELIEVE Jeni’s and Graeter’s are the best out there (Brown Butter Almond Brittle and Black Cherry Chocolate Chip, respectively. Seriously, so good). But, it certainly wouldn’t take significant arm-twisting to encourage me to challenge that belief (I see you, Andia’s from North Carolina) -- if I weren’t open to new facts and experiences, I’d never get to try the potentially best ice cream out there.

Zaki’s research says that people who affirm their values (e.g., I’ve thought about it, and yes, gourmet ice cream is deeply important to me) become more open to information that contradicts their beliefs (e.g., hmmm, if I’m truly so into amazing ice cream, what if I’m missing out by always going to Jeni’s instead sampling a friend’s recommendation at a different spot?). Zaki explains that it TAKES CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF TO QUESTION YOUR OPINIONS.

So, thinking about this in an organizational context, I value fairness at work. I used to believe that a well-designed nondiscrimination policy was a solution to identity-based employee mistreatment. Decades of work with institutions has built my confidence in my expertise and taught me that a good policy is useful but insufficient to address these issues. Had I dug my heels in on my belief (perhaps mistaking the need for strong policy to be a value), I’d be stuck.

How can we encourage folks to peel back beliefs to identify the values underneath? I think we could find a lot of common ground in our values, and based on Zaki’s research, build the confidence to have productive conversations about negotiating different beliefs.

Now I want ice cream.