Social Desirability Bias Could Derail the Election for Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris' racial identity as a mixed-race Black woman fuels my anxiety that Americans are not ready to elect a woman to the presidency.

Her fears are grounded in a phenomenon social scientists call the Bradley Effect or “social desirability bias” This phenomenon describes the discrepancy between what voters report as opinions and attitudes on surveys and to pollsters.

There are five science-backed tools that I collectively call PRISM that can transform bias.

PRISM is an acronym for Perspective-Taking , Prosocial Behavior, Individuation, Stereotype Replacement, and Mindfulness .

Science shows that it takes as little as three weeks to build new habits as long as we practice regularly through our own volition.

With less than two months to election day , it would behoove us to put these tools to practice. More Must-Reads from TIME - How Kamala Harris Knocked Donald Trump Off Course - Introducing TIME's 2024 Latino Leaders - What Makes a Friendship Last Forever? - 33 True Crime Documentaries That Shaped the Genre - Long COVID Looks Different in Kids - Your Questions About Early Voting , Answered - Column: Your Cynicism Isn’t Helping Anybody - The 100 Most Influential People in AI 2024 .