Post No.: 0995 Fluffystealthkitten says: The majority of us believe we’re superior or at least above average amongst the population in terms of traits like intelligence, perspicacity and wisdom. Therefore when given the chance to judge our fellow … Read More
Post No.: 0982 Furrywisepuppy says: Most of the time, our likes and dislikes, instead of rational arguments, determine our beliefs about the world – this is the ‘affect heuristic’. For instance, an ardent meat-eater will believe that eating … Read More
Post No.: 0966 Fluffystealthkitten says: The use of abusive interrogation techniques (torture) to extract information can easily produce false confessions. Prolonged torture screws up the mind so much that one can spew totally incoherent thoughts and report false … Read More
Post No.: 0957 Furrywisepuppy says: Utility could be defined in two ways – as a function of pain and pleasure (experienced utility) or as a function of want-ability (decision utility, as employed by expected utility theory). Of … Read More
Post No.: 0951 Furrywisepuppy says: Reputations are quick and easy to destroy, difficult to build, and are even more difficult to rebuild. Once e.g. uncovered as a liar, others will naturally wonder what else one has lied or … Read More
Post No.: 0946 Fluffystealthkitten says: Without venturing into arrogance – walk tall, be assertive and never feel any less than equal to anybody else. You’re not more, but you’re not less. Know yourself, know your enemy, be … Read More
Post No.: 0935 Furrywisepuppy says: We’re typically overconfident regarding our ability to detect deceits. But people who’ve played party games like Mafia or Werewolf, or poker, will recognise how difficult it is to detect deception! Many liars get … Read More
Post No.: 0925 Fluffystealthkitten says: Suggestion is simply a priming effect. It’s when someone causes you to see, hear or feel something by merely bringing it to your mind. The question, “Do you feel something on your scalp?” … Read More
Post No.: 0911 Fluffystealthkitten says: People are frequently predictable even when trying to do something unpredictable or unexpected! When setting multiple-choice questions, most people set a ‘true, false, true, false’ sequence, which they assume is more random – … Read More
Post No.: 0890 Furrywisepuppy says: Inside our brains are various motives and impulses trying to drive us one way or another, and it all only seems coherent to our conscious mind (if we don’t have split-brain syndrome) because … Read More
Post No.: 0873 Furrywisepuppy says: Regret is an emotional punishment we inflict on ourselves. The fear of regret influences many of our decisions. It’s accompanied by feelings that one should’ve known better, a sinking feeling, thoughts about the … Read More
Post No.: 0854 Furrywisepuppy says: Being blind to hypocrisy, or having double standards, is a major psychological bias… It’s ‘don’t call me names or shout at me’, but I’ll call you names or shout at you if … Read More
Post No.: 0833 Furrywisepuppy says: You’ll struggle to reason people out of views they didn’t reason themselves into, and this includes yourself and your own views too. We aren’t purely rational creatures so it can at times … Read More
Post No.: 0816 Furrywisepuppy says: In a joint evaluation when comparing two scenarios – one where an innocent person gets shot after stumbling into a robbery at a store where that person frequents, and one where that innocent … Read More
Post No.: 0795 Furrywisepuppy says: The ‘introspection illusion’ is when we believe our own introspections are more reliable than other people’s. (This includes trusting one’s own intuitions over scientific data, like believing that heavier objects fall faster than … Read More
Post No.: 0782 Furrywisepuppy says: Whenever we criticise other people’s political positions, it reveals our own political positions. Whenever we comment on how others can eat ‘weird’ food combinations, it reveals our own preferences, if not fussiness. Whenever … Read More
Post No.: 0773 Furrywisepuppy says: I find illusions incredibly fascinating. They reveal so much about the inner workings of the brain. Illusions and hallucinations can affect every one of our five main senses – namely sight or vision, … Read More
Post No.: 0754 Furrywisepuppy says: Our intuitions can sense when someone is lying reasonably well (although how well ‘well’ means is subjective!) But no single specific non-verbal behavioural cue or any linguistic (e.g. colloquialisms) or paralinguistic (vocal tone … Read More
Post No.: 0741 Furrywisepuppy says: If we’re unwavering zealots then can we ever believe that our worldviews are wrong? Even past facts can be reinterpreted in favour of our positions… If a political party wins an election … Read More
Post No.: 0733 Furrywisepuppy says: ‘Motivated reasoning’ is about justifying decisions, judgements and attitude changes (or lack thereof) based on our emotions and cognitive biases, in order to reduce cognitive dissonance and/or to serve self-serving outcomes. Cognitive … Read More
