Why do we do dumb and irrational things? The actual question is which one has the most to teach us about human nature? Which one gives us the most piercing insight into how our thoughts and actions are affected by other people?
The Halo Effect: When Your Own Mind is a Mystery
The 'halo effe...
Some of you might be interested in why we do dumb or irrational things. Read and vote for your favourite what you think the most brilliant Social Psychology Studies of all time.
Why do we do dumb and irrational things? The actual question is which one has the most to teach us about human nature? Which one gives us the most piercing insight into how our thoughts and actions are affected by other people?
The Halo Effect: When Your Own Mind is a Mystery
The 'halo effect' is a classic finding in social psychology. It is the idea that global evaluations about a person (e.g. she is likeable) bleed over into judgements about their specific traits (e.g. she is intelligent). Hollywood stars demonstrate the halo effect perfectly. Because they are often attractive and likeable we naturally assume they are also intelligent, friendly, display good judgement and so on.
How and Why We Lie to Ourselves: Cognitive Dissonance.
The ground-breaking social psychological experiment of Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) provides a central insight into the stories we tell ourselves about why we think and behave the way we do. The experiment is filled with ingenious deception so the best way to understand it is to imagine you are taking part. So sit back, relax and travel back. The time is 1959 and you are an undergraduate student at Stanford University...
Just Following Orders? Stanley Milgram's Obedience Experiment
What psychological experiment could be so powerful that simply taking part might change your view of yourself and human nature? What experimental procedure could provoke some people to profuse sweating and trembling, leaving 10% extremely upset, while others broke into unexplained hysterical laughter?
There at least 10 reasons for our behaviour and the article is an insightful reading.
I have read about most of these studies at some point but to find them described so succinctly in one place would be a real treasure trove for any interested neophytes. I wish I'd found this site years ago.
The Duh factor...
From the article: "I have been primarily interested in how and why ordinary people do unusual things, things that seem alien to their natures. Why do good people sometimes act evil? Why do smart people sometimes do dumb or irrational things?" --Philip Zimbardo
