.. brain scans suggest that when others reflect our own thoughts back to us, it stimulates the pleasure centres of our brains.
Echo chambers are dens of iniquity for mental masturbation
Perspective blindness refers to the fact that we are often blind to our own blind spots. Our modes of thought are so habitual that we scarcely notice how they filter our perception of reality.
This isn't just about the CIA, however. Look at many governments, law firms, army leadership teams, senior civil servants and even executives at some tech companies. We are unconsciously drawn to people who think like ourselves, but rarely notice the danger because we are unaware of our own blind spots.
John Cleese, the comedian, put it this way: "Everybody has theories. The dangerous people are those who are not aware of their own theories. That is, the theories on which they operate are largely unconscious."
Getting the right mix of diversity in human groups isn't easy.
There is a science to putting together the right minds, with perspectives that challenge, augment, diverge and cross-pollinate rather than parrot, corroborate and restrict. This is set to become a key source of competitive advantage for organisations, not to mention security agencies. This is how wholes become more than the sum of their parts.
The CIA has made strides towards meaningful diversity since 9/11, but the issue continues to dog the agency.
An internal report in 2015 was damning.
As John Brennan, then director, put it: "The study group took a hard look at our agency and reached an unequivocal conclusion: CIA simply must do more to develop the diverse and inclusive leadership environment that our values require and that our mission demands."
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