Nov 23, 2023 22:00:00

Why are smart and successful people so fascinated by 'stupid ideas'?

Even though they are supposed to be smart people who have achieved success in some field, they sometimes state clearly flawed logic or express radical ideas that many people question. Rob Henderson, a psychology researcher at the University of Cambridge, explains the mechanism behind why successful people sometimes fall into ``stupid ideas''.

Why Dumb Ideas Capture Smart and Successful People

https://www.robkhenderson.com/p/how-dumb-ideas-capture-smart-and

According to Henderson, there are two ways to persuade others. The first is the central route, which requires participants to carefully and thoughtfully consider the message and actively evaluate the information presented to determine whether the content of the message is true. On the other hand, in the second 'peripheral route,' the recipient of the message makes judgments based on the attractiveness of the person who sent the message, education, work, etc., without considering the truth or merit of the message itself. .

Peripheral routes tend to be more passive in receiving messages than central routes. According to Henderson, as people are increasingly bombarded with information, the central route of active engagement with information is no longer possible, and the peripheral route is becoming more common. . Famous psychologists Susan Fisk and Shelley Taylor wrote in their book Social Cognition , ``Humans are cognitive misers who take shortcuts whenever possible because their information processing capacity is limited.'' I'm writing this.

Mr. Henderson cites

a paper published by Daniel O'Keefe, professor emeritus of communication studies at Northwestern University, as an interesting study on human information processing. The paper found that people trust a message when they know it's from an expert, but if they're told after reading the message that it's from an expert, they don't trust the message. It is shown that there is no. Similarly, if we are told before we read a message that it is not by an expert, we become more skeptical, but if we are told after reading the message that it is not by an expert, our credibility does not decrease. About. In response, Henderson suggests, ``Knowing in advance that a source is an expert makes us let down our guard and reduces our intelligence.''

In addition to the mechanisms of persuasion, Mr. Henderson borrows from renowned psychologist Leon Festinger, who says, ``When we see others holding the same beliefs as us, we become more confident in those beliefs ourselves.'' ”, which deals with the social comparison process. Audiences focus on whether the information matches their own beliefs, rather than whether it is true or false or morally correct, and try to find out information surrounding the person who sent the message. For this reason, the sender of the message also puts more emphasis on improving their own environment and position than on sending out the correct message.

Furthermore, when considering what to believe, what is important is not only peripheral information from our perspective. We place importance on the reputation of those around us, whether or not others evaluate the person sending the message and the information surrounding them.If many people believe something, we are likely to believe it too. Henderson suggests that sex will increase. Also, it seems that we tend to believe what people in high positions believe.

``People are encouraged not to say things that will lower their status even if they are true; on the other hand, people can be encouraged to say things that increase their status even if they are lies.'' ,” said Henderson. This is not limited to influencers with no specialized knowledge, but also scientists, who sometimes seek status over truth.

According to Mr. Henderson, many people think that people with less education are more easily influenced by status and reputation, but in fact, people with higher status or better careers are more concerned about what others think of them. There is a possibility that people tend to be more persuaded by information from peripheral routes than by scrutinizing the information itself through central routes. Students and graduates of top universities are especially likely to evaluate information and ideas, construct evidence, and test hypotheses in ways that are biased toward beliefs, opinions, and attitudes that are not their own. Additionally, a study led by Cameron Anderson of the University of Berkeley found that 'people with higher levels of education and more money enjoy influencing the decisions of others.' They tend to agree with the answer ``I want to gain honor and social status.''

By integrating the mechanism of persuasion, the tendency to seek to improve one's status over the truth, and the psychological tendency that people with good education, high status, and wealth are more likely to have biased beliefs, 'High people appear to be most likely to express in messages things they don't necessarily believe out of fear of losing their job or reputation,' Henderson concludes. Based on that conclusion, Henderson says, ``Smart people are usually good at finding truth, but they're also good at creating absurdity.'' When highly educated and wealthy people misuse their intelligence and time, There may be unpleasant consequences.”