Why is it so difficult to resist the crowd and what it can lead to

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

How the people forced the government to release a dummy medicine and why three people are enough to convince you of any nonsense.

What is fraught with the effect of joining the majority

In 2016, all the media wrote about a cancer drug that is already being tested in Brazil. Professor Gilberto Shirisi suggested using phosphoethanolamine tablets - Phospho for the treatment of cancer. He just started making medicine and giving to patients - without any proof or permission.

When the government became aware of this, the professor was forbidden to distribute the drug, but it was too late. Many patients found out about Phospho and sued, demanding the resumption of production of the miracle pills.

Then a series of stories with Shirisi came out on Brazilian television. He became a star, and people could not be stopped: the protest was so strong that the government had to take action. In March 2016, a law was passed authorizing the manufacture and use of Phospho for cancer treatment. As a result, the tablets were released to the market with no evidence of efficacy or safety.

The law was withdrawn in May of the same year, but the case was indicative. Why did people pounce on an untested drug, and the government, despite the resistance of the scientific community and lack of evidence, allowed Phospho to treat cancer?

This could explain the bandwagon effect, a cognitive bias that makes people blindly choose what is popular in society. In other words, it is the pressure of public opinion and its dominance over personal considerations.

This effect is not limited to major events. We are constantly under his influence in ordinary everyday situations.

The pressure of society forces people to marry, because it seems it is time already, and to have children, as "the clock is ticking." Spend money on high-profile goods, lose weight, swing, wear uncomfortable things, be ashamed of yourself and pretend to be someone else.

How society influences our decisions

People can give a damn about their feelings for the sake of public opinion, and this does not require a large crowd - three strangers are enough.

This was proved by the experiment of the psychologist Solomon Asch. The real participant was placed among the decoys - warned of the details of the human study. Then the group was shown pictures, asked to compare lines of different lengths and find the same. The task was very simple, and the correct answer was striking. But when everyone else pointed to the wrong line, the tester also answered incorrectly. Moreover, the effect unfolded in full force, starting with only three decoys.

Most of the participants in this experiment argued that independence is better than conformity, but the opinion of a bunch of strangers forced them to act contrary to their ideals.

Moreover, if people decide something together, they create a social norm and continue to adhere to it, even when they are alone.

This was proven in Sheriff's experiment. People were shown a ray of light in a dark room and asked to determine how far in inches it had traveled. The light didn't actually move, it was an optical illusion.

When people answered one at a time, their answers varied greatly, but when they gathered in a group, they began to see the same thing. Moreover, they did not just change their minds, like Asha did, but really saw it differently. The responses of the people remained similar even after they were separated again. This effect lasted up to 28 days.

Why we trust public opinion more than ourselves

There are several theories as to why we are so influenced by public opinion.

Because others know what they are doing

More often than not, we follow the crowd when we know little. Imagine that you need to buy a printer, but you have no idea by what criteria to choose. And in order not to waste time on boring things, you just take the most popular model.

In such a situation, you do not take into account the real advantages of the product, but its popularity. The explanation is very simple: since everyone chooses this product, it means that there is something in it.

And this affects not only material things, but also opinions. The experiment showed that fake good comments on posts increased the positive response by 32%, and the popularity of the material by 25%.

Because we want to be with the winners

The effect of joining the majority is especially noticeable in politics and sports. When a team wins a competition, its fan base increases dramatically, and loyal voters grow among the leading political parties just before the elections.

Therefore, in some countries, the results of the preliminary voting are kept secret: after the announcement, about 6% of the electorate change their minds in favor of the leading party, which makes the elections unfair.

People want to be with winners: it creates a sense of community and social security. In addition, with leaders, there are more chances to get some kind of profit.

Because we are afraid to be outsiders

In Asch's experiment, some participants decided that they could not correctly determine the length of the lines due to some kind of violation. And they agreed with the majority, so as not to show that something was wrong with them.

We are often afraid of censure from society, do not want to go into conflict and are afraid of being rejected. This fear makes them disregard personal opinions and make decisions for the sake of society.

How to overcome the negative influence of society

We are products of our culture, so it is impossible to completely get rid of the influence of society. But sometimes it is worth abstracting from public opinion in order to find out what is best for you. Here are some tips on how to do it.

Explore all available information

People often follow the crowd when they don't really know anything. Postpone the decision, study all the available data, or better yet, conflicting opinions. This will make you more likely to make the right choice.

Accept that people can be wrong

All people. Not only your neighbors and friends, but also smart scientists, important government officials, experts and specialists. Of course, you should not go to extremes and not believe anything at all, but if what is happening seems to you devoid of logic and common sense, it is possible that others are making a mistake.

Leave room for reflection on your own

Seeking advice and listening to other people's opinions is great, especially if you are considering different points of view, and not looking for similar ones to confirm your decision. But sometimes you need to think about everything alone, without outside influence. When making important decisions, try to be alone with yourself and reflect on your own.

The effect of joining the majority is one of the many thinking traps that we fall into on a daily basis. Lifehacker has a book on why this happens and how to avoid it. In it, relying on science, we sort out the traps one by one and give advice on how not to let our own brain deceive us.