How Human Nature Defies Innovation
Why our need to fit in keeps us in the ‘box’
Fitting In
“Humans are social animals”
~ Aristotle
Humans are naturally inclined towards forming social groups for benefits such as safety in numbers and social acceptance. We are hard-wired to want to connect with other individuals in our society. It is not hard to see what happens should this connection be affected or deteriorated in any way. The general unease that the current quarantine measures are bringing to some of us owing to a lack of social interaction highlights this. This highlights the importance of social interaction in maintaining our personal health.
The most common way that we develop social groups is through the shared similarities between us and other individuals. These similarities spawn a common ground between people that allows them to connect and hence form social circles. Generally, it is much easier to connect with someone similar than with someone who is radically different from you.
Positives and Negatives
The common application of finding similar grounds leads people to form groups with a distinct homogeneity in one topic or another. This is enhanced through the network effect of having similar-minded individuals further connect with similar-minded individuals, extending the homogenous social circle wider. As groups grow with similar-minded individuals they develop stronger bonds of kinship and understanding, which are highly beneficial to us social animals in maintaining our personal health. Therefore, the desire to fit in and find common ground can positively enhance our lives and social circles.
However, the greatest strength of this form of social acceptance is also a big folly in today’s world. The concept of becoming an increasingly homogenous group with strong similarities implies that the tendency to deviate is greatly reduced. This results in the reduction of creativity or original thought as we become increasingly driven to conform with others around us.
This conformity bias, which grows stronger as our homogenous social circle expands, tends to deteriorate our ability to think ‘outside of the box’ with respect to new perspectives. This is reinforced through two channels, the constant proliferation of common ideas and the lack of differing thoughts. This combination renders us, as a species, resistant to change and alternative realities.
Why Innovation DOES NOT Run In Our Nature
Given the importance of social needs and the prevalence of conformity bias, homogeneity is a difficult idea to run from. Homogeneity enforces common beliefs or understandings and tends to stifle creative thought. This stifling of creativity and ingenious thinking affects our capacity to be creative and innovative thinkers. It is ironic how one of the principles of being human has enforced in us a deleterious trait given the current circumstances we face today.
These circumstances above refer to the often mentioned VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world we live in today. We need to be agile and innovative thinkers to thrive in this new world of rapid development and change. This requires us to be able to think unconventionally, viewing issues from various perspectives to derive new solutions. The new world requires those that can not only ‘improve the wheel’, but ‘change the wheel’ where necessary.
This is in conflict with the above desire to conform and be accepted by a larger community as it inherently stifles the creative thought process that we need to survive in today’s world. It is an irony that the social conformity and gathering that once enabled us to thrive has become a roadblock towards our progression today. Given this dilemma, we must find ways to balance both aspects to ensure that we reap the optimal benefits from both.
Changing Human Nature
The key is to balance both aspects through the careful appropriation between a conformist and a radical stand. The bright side here is that conformity in the social sense can be developed on a relatively little common ground. This means that we can focus on similarities with our social circles while not being overwhelmed by them. Therefore, the opportunity lies in how we manage our excess time to develop the creative aspect of our mental capabilities.
The more difficult part comes in widening our mental horizons towards developing new perspectives. Friction naturally occurs whenever a change is desired, and the expansion to different viewpoints is no exception. It requires us to have a focused determination to break from the orthodox in our lives towards unconventional perspectives. This takes time and effort but is crucial if we want to develop the mental agility to succeed in this VUCA world.
A major sticking point that pulls us away from new perspectives is the fear of the consequences of non-conformity. This idea is best represented by the phrase ‘FOMO’ (Fear Of Missing Out), which is often associated to those who deviate from the activities that their social circles conduct. This inherent fear of deviant behavior can be said to stem from a lack of self-belief in your own individuality. This doubt causes us to crave social normality all the more, with the light of innovation slowly fading as we fall into the social acceptance trap.
Stand On Your Own Two Feet To Survive
Examing the entire issue at its root, a potential solution can be found in bolstering our self-belief, developing ourselves to be able to live in social acceptance while maintaining our individuality. In doing so, we are able to continue to express ourselves as unique individuals with our goals in life, as we push the frontier towards reaching them. The ability to be yourself is crucial in overcoming conformity bias and hence exploring areas outside of the society you live in.
We are social animals, but we must not forget our individuality and how we can capitalize on this to expand our minds beyond our society. Being able to comprehend a variety of views and think creatively will definitely aid us in flourishing in today's world.
Remember, today, you may be a face in the crowd, but in the future, you could be who the crowd faces!