Why We do Dumb or Irrational Things: 10 Brilliant Social Psychology Studies
"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
Like eminent social psychologist Professor Philip Zimbardo, I'm also obsessed with why we do dumb or irrational things. The answer quite often is because of other people - something social psychologists have comprehensively shown.
Over the past few months I've been describing 10 of the most influential social psychology studies. Each one tells a unique, insightful story relevant to all our lives, every day.
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.
» Read on about the halo effect -»
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...
» Read on about cognitive dissonance -»
The Robbers Cave experiment, a classic study of prejudice and conflict, has at least one hidden story. The well-known story emerged in the decades following the experiment as textbook writers adopted a particular retelling. With repetition people soon accepted this story as reality, forgetting it is just one version of events, one interpretation of a complex series of studies.
» Read on about Sherif's Robbers Cave experiment -»
The famous 'Stanford Prison Experiment' argues a strong case for the power of the situation in determining human behaviour. Not only that but this experiment has also inspired a novel, two films, countless TV programs, re-enactments and even a band.
» Read on about Zimbardo's Stanford prison 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?
» Read on about Milgram's obedience studies -»
Many people quite naturally believe they are good 'intuitive psychologists', thinking it is relatively easy to predict other people's attitudes and behaviours. We each have information built up from countless previous experiences involving both ourselves and others so surely we should have solid insights? No such luck.
» Read on about the false consensus bias -»
People's behaviour in groups is fascinating and frequently disturbing. As soon as humans are bunched together in groups we start to do odd things: copy other members of our group, favour members of own group over others, look for a leader to worship and fight other groups.
» Read on about why groups and prejudices form so easily -»
Bargaining is one of those activities we often engage in without quite realising it. It doesn't just happen in the boardroom, or when we ask our boss for a raise or down at the market, it happens every time we want to reach an agreement with someone. This agreement could be as simple as choosing a restaurant with a friend, or deciding which TV channel to watch. At the other end of the scale, bargaining can affect the fate of nations.
» Read on about how communication and threats affect bargaining -»
In social psychology the 'bystander effect' is the surprising finding that the mere presence of other people inhibits our own helping behaviours in an emergency. John Darley and Bibb Latane were inspired to investigate emergency helping behaviours after the murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964.
» Read on about bystander apathy -»
We all know that humans are natural born conformers - we copy each other's dress sense, ways of talking and attitudes, often without a second thought. But exactly how far does this conformity go? Do you think it is possible you would deny unambiguous information from your own senses just to conform with other people?
» Read on about Asch's classic conformity study -»
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great compilation of important social studies.
I have been a long time fan of the Milgram and Stanford prison experiments. but the others on the list are equally as compelling.
The Bystander Apathy experiment has affected me the most personally. I read somewhere that psychologists are more likely than the average Joe to stop and help someone because they know other people will not. I often think of this experiment when I see someone in distress, and will stop and ask if I can help out, talk to small children that appear to be alone, call the police about strays, gunshots, dead animals, etc. The bottom line, you can't expect someone else to do the dirty work. That someone is YOU.
Marc, thanks, glad you like it.
Laurie - yes, it's absolutely true that one excellent way of combating some of these effects is to know about them in the first place - the bystander effect especially.
Funny you should mention bystander apathy, as there are recent rumblings and findings that the conclusion of the "bystander apathy" experiment were flawed.
the_tay, a recent article did point out that the real-life Kitty Genovese incident was probably incorrectly reported so that it looked like more people were present or saw the incident than actually did. The bystander effect, however, was not questioned by this article.
There's more from the BPS Research Digest.
Hi there..
Good post.. but im surprised you left appart one of the most comprehensive paradigm for social behavior.. i'm thinking of the systemic theorys.. Watzlavick has written some interesting hypothesis on the mutual adjustments that can exist between a couple, a family or even nations..
One of the well known experiment is the "prisoner's dilemma"..
A+))
Frouzan, thank you and thanks for the pointer about systemic theory - I'll take a look...
thanks a lot.
oligofree, you're welcome!
How about the recent experiment 'on making the right choice' by App Dijksterhuis. It shows that deliberating on difficult decisions is not the best strategy and we should use 'intuition' instead. This result runs counter to the whole of Western thought sinse the Greeks....
This is a fascinating article. I haven't voted yet as I'm still trying to think through all the implications of the experiments.
I hope this isn't a case of 'Bystander Apathy'. :o)
OK, plumped for the bargaining one, which doesn't appear to be a popular choice, and yet it's the one with some of the most far-reaching implications.
The world's politicians should be forced to realise that the best way to solve problems is not to retaliate but to talk. "We don't deal with X/Y/Z" is shown by this study to be the least optimal outcome.
David, thanks for the suggestions - Mixing Memory has beaten me to writing up this study!
gr8 read! my personal favourite - the False Consensus Bias
I'm glad someone else picked fasle concensus bias, of course I shouldbe be suprised to find out that my personal favourite was not as popular as a thought it should be ;-)