It's the perfect time to stop our unconscious bias going viral

In times like this it's essential we become aware of the ways in which we are biased - so it doesn't become prejudice

When behavioural scientist Dr Pragya Agarwal moved from Delhi to York more than 20 years ago, her first priority was to blend in. As a single parent, a woman of colour and an academic, she worked hard to "water down" the things that made her different from those around her. Yet the more she tried to fit in, the more Agarwal began to ask herself why humans appear programmed to create "in groups" and distrust those on the outside.

"Unconscious bias has become a buzzword in recent years," explains Agarwal. "We are all biased and, though some biases can be harmless, many aren't." These are the issues she unravels in her book Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias, and she confronts some uncomfortable truths along the way.