How to be a truly independent thinking person?

Author:Zhanlu CHEERS Time:2022.08.10

Photo source: The movie "Twelve Angry Han" 12 Angry Men (1957)

Remember the plot of the movie "Twelve Angry Han"?

The story takes place in a small room, and 12 ordinary people are gathered in the room. They come from different classes, do different occupations, do not know each other, but are invited to participate in the judgment of the killing case together.

The defendant was a 18 -year -old boy who grew up in the slum. He was a young man. His father went to prison and often scolded him. On the night of the incident, a woman living in the building opposite the boy claimed that he was claiming that he saw that the boy raised his knife over his head. The lame master who lived downstairs in the boy's house claimed that he heard the boy shouted, "I want to kill you!". It seems that the evidence is conclusive.

However, when 12 people raised their screens, the problem came -11 people present thought that the boy was guilty, and only one thought the boy was innocent.

The only jury with opposition seems to see the loopholes: the women in the opposite building have serious myopia, which is not enough to see the situation of the boy's house; the noise of the whistling of the train around the house will interfere with the judgment of the uncle.

After some discussions, those so -called evidence were also overthrown, and the people present also changed their attitudes and sentenced the boy to be innocent.

Just like participating in the collective trial in the movie, everyone feels that they can adhere to their own opinions, be able to take over the pressure of people around them, and maintain their keen insight. However, we are not always a free thinking and independent individual as we think.

At some moment, you are afraid of thinking independently

Photo source: The movie "Twelve Angry Han" 12 Angry Men (1957)

Many people intuitively tend to attribute human behavior to personality traits, but in fact, we also ignore the influence of the situation on us.

Take a look at the line segments in the figure below. In the three line segments on the right, which one is the same as the one alone on the left, is A, B or C?

It's easy, right? The answer is C. More than 98%of people will answer this way. What's the matter with the other 2%? They became the NBA referee.

Now change the situation. This time you are not the length of the line segment in private, please imagine that you are sitting in front of the table with five other people.

Someone shows you a series of segments such as in the picture, and each of you take turns to answer loudly. Everything is as usual for the beginning of the picture. However, in the picture above, interesting things happened.

The first person replied, "A." You blinked. Maybe you laugh in your heart and feel that he didn't look carefully.

However, the second person also said, "A."

Then the third and fourth people are the same.

Now it is your turn. what will you do?

You will deviate from the group, persist in your opinions, and give the correct answer you know? Or will it be consistent with others? You know, you should not show off your feathers.

Alright, I know. You will say that you can give the correct answer. You are not afraid of thinking independently.

But I don't believe it. Or, more accurately, I don't believe in three -quarters of you. Because, a few decades ago, the psychologist of the Svosmo Academy did this experiment: he hired an actor to play those members of the faint team, and found that 75%of them were tried, at least one time was given to the crowd. Error answer.

In short, this is the power of the public. We tend to follow the precedent of others. This tendency is so ingrained that it is enough to let the three -quarters of the people know that it is the wrong answer, rather than the clear consensus that opposes the group. Following mistakes is easier than breaking routine.

be yourself? Which yourself?

Photo source: The movie "Twelve Angry Han" 12 Angry Men (1957)

The waiter wrong our order? We think he is incompetent. Colleagues don't reply? We think she is unreasonable. "What we see is income" makes us believe that these behaviors come from a stable and consistent inner personality, and we expect this character to show at any time and anywhere.

Therefore, we will think that even before lunch, the waiter will be an idiot; even after get off work, the colleague is a bastard. We are easily attracted by a stable personality. This kind of false confidence that can predict others' behavior makes us feel at ease.

But things are different from ourselves. Try to use "I am a certain" in different time scenarios. What will you find? Perhaps, today's answers to you last week are not the same, but every answer is reasonable.

When you are in different rooms or different emotions, the answer may be different. In fact, there are almost a variety of possible answers, because personal identity is a multi -head monster, just like the sentence in the movie "To the Dark Moment": "Be myself, which one should I do today?"

Our identity, thoughts, and every move are affected by the situation, but we still do not perceive this. Just as tourists in the museum rarely noticed the frame, we did not notice how external factors affect our inner thoughts and nature.

In a very different situation, thinking and behavior will also change. In the daily situations, those aspects that seem to be insignificant will determine whether we are alone or in control, whether they follow the group or maverick, and why we like some people. But hate others. This is the influence of the situation. The situation also determines whether we are heroes or timid ghosts; we are in the crowd and we are alone, and we may also be two kinds of people who are completely different.

Open "Situation Influence" you will see how the situation has shaped our personal self -feelings, how to decorate our concept of gender differences, and how to determine who we love and hate.

Be wary of contextual influence

Photo source: The movie "Twelve Angry Han" 12 Angry Men (1957)

The public is so ingrained, and even when we imitate other people's non -verbal behaviors, we often accidentally show this tendency. In a study conducted by New York University, the subject was paired with a dialogue partner.

Without awareness, the subject began to imitate this repeated behavior. There are sufficient reasons for the existence of this tendency. Researchers call it a "color -changing dragon effect": In a follow -up study, they discovered that the more the other party imitates our behavior in the conversation, the more we will be at the end of the conversation. like her.

Even if there is an obvious correct answer, we will still follow the public. In many cases, we can see -the onlookers are not aware of the "fake permit". It is no wonder that some people are: "The people of Wuhe, I like to apply the concept of Wuhe people the most."

"Situation Influence" explores the invisible power that affects your life. It will subvert the original human assumptions in your mind and help you answer:

· Under what circumstances, can human personality change?

· Are those people who watch the sleeves and are nobble basties?

· Why do innocent people plead guilty?

This book will also force us to rethink the way we look at ourselves, help us make more efficient decisions in work and life, and make more accurate observations of the surrounding world. it can:

· Help you predict how people around you will react in various situations;

· Teach you to think outside the matter;

· Review your environment and dilemma more calmly;

· How to influence others by manipulating the situation;

· Let you resist the excessive impact of the situation.

Once you start not to notice those who have never seen and disappear, there is no way back.

Just like learning the secret of a magic drama, or to understand the principle of a visual illusion, you can no longer look at the problem in an old way. We can try to think about it every day and look at the familiar world from an unfamiliar perspective.