11 interesting psychological facts about human behavior
Have you ever wondered why we think, feel, and behave in the ways that we do? It’s a source of fascination for many. After all, the way our minds function has a lot to do with how we do things and how we are. Human behavior, brain function, and mental processes have been studied extensively. And while there are still lot of unanswered questions, and there is a long way to go, by learning about the fundamentals of behavior and the human mind, we’re able to gain a better understanding of ourselves and others.
In this article, I have gathered some truly interesting facts about the psychology of human behavior that will better understand why we think, feel, and behave in certain ways.
1. THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO US IN EARLY ADULTHOOD STAY WITH US LONG-TERM:
Have you ever noticed how often older people talk about their early twenties? Or have you ever wondered why so many people love coming of age stories? Well, this phenomenon is referred to as the Reminiscence Bump. You see, we have a preference for recalling experience from adolescence and early adulthood, primarily due to the emotional intensity of this period because of the number of choices and changes that occur during that time. Graduation, marriage, the birth of a child, these are all new experiences, making them much more memorable. Research also suggest that memories are easily accessible from the Reminiscence Bump because they are linked to self-identity and significantly contributes to an individual’s attitude, beliefs, and life goals.
2. THINKING ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS FROM A THIRD-PERSONS PERSPECTIVE ALLOWS YOU TO FIND EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS:
Would you say you think about other people’s problems more clearly and sensibly than your own? According to research, the answer for most people is yes, and this is known as the Solomon’s Paradox. People regardless of age, are more likely to think more rationally while contemplating someone else’s difficulties than when addressing their own problems. That said, a self-distancing strategy can eliminate this bias. So, the next time you’re faced with a personal dilemma, practice your reasoning skills by taking a step back and considering your situation from an outsider’s perspective.
3. THOSE MOST INCOMPETENT ARE THE LEAST AWARE OF THEIR OWN INCOMPETENCE:
You’ve probably witnessed this happen; maybe around the dinner table during a holiday family gathering. During the meal, an extended family member begins talking about something, claiming to be right, and everyone else is foolish, ignorant, or just plain wrong. This person’s lack of knowledge is obvious to everyone in the room. Yet, they continue to ramble on, blissfully unaware of their own ignorance. This is called the Dunning-Kruger effect, a cognitive bias in which people think they are smarter and more capable than they actually are. Their poor self-awareness and low cognitive ability leads them to overestimate their actual capabilities.
4. HOSTILE PEOPLE TEND TO OWN MORE AGGRESSIVE DOGS:
Research shows that anger, aggression, and hostility are more common in the personality of owners of stereotypically violent breeds. Could it be possible that people choose dogs that are an extension of themselves? We typically select friends and partners with similar interests and tendencies. So, why not pets? Perhaps. But other factors may also influence people’s aggression and their choice for violent breeds. For instance, those who are socially isolated, have fewer visitors, or live in high-crime neighborhoods are more likely to be under chronic stress, possibly making them more aggressive and thus, they would be more inclined to pick a guard dog such as a Rottweiler or Pit Bull.
5. DAYDREAMERS ARE MORE CREATIVE:
Do you tend to get in trouble for daydreaming in class or during a meeting at work? Mind-wandering is often viewed as a negative trait, but it’s not necessarily the case. In fact, daydreaming may indicate intelligence and creativity! According to research, high measured intelligence and creativity go hand-in-hand with high levels of mind-wandering. What’s more, frequent daydreamers not only tend to score higher on IQ tests, but their brains also appear to be more efficient. Yes, some people have more efficient brains than others which translates into an increased capacity to think and, as a result, their brains may wander when performing easy tasks. They can zone in and out of discussions or tasks when appropriate, then seamlessly tune back in without losing crucial details or steps.
6. REJECTION LITERALLY HURTS YOU:
Have you ever felt like you got punched in the stomach after being rejected by someone? Why is that? Well apparently that’s how our minds are wired to respond. Turns out, the same parts of our bran gets activated when we experience rejection as when we experience physical pain. That’s why even small rejections hurt more that they should as they elicit literal, though emotional pain.
7. SPEAKING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE CHANGES YOUR DECISION:
You might think that people will make the same decisions no matter what language they were using, or that the difficulty of using a foreign language would make decision less systematic. However, the opposite is true. Using a foreign language is shown to reduce decision-making biases. When speaking a foreign language, we need to suppress our native language. And, in order to think rationally, we have to suppress our innate intuitions. Brain imaging studies show the same parts of the brains are involved in both foreign-language use and rational thought. And when foreign-language speakers activate their brain’s inhabitation center, their intuitions and emotions are also inhibited. As a result, individuals make more rational decisions when speaking a foreign language.
8. WE BLAME A PERSON’S BEHAVIOUR ON THEIR PERSONALITY (UNLESS IT’S US):
Have you ever been infuriated by someone cutting you off while driving, only to do the same thing to someone else a few minutes later? And while the person who cut you off enraged you, and your reaction was along the lines of “what a jerk” or “this guy is an a$$hole”, you’re likely to have justified your behavior to yourself since you were in a hurry and you only did it once. Unfortunately, we tend to believe that others do bad things because they are bad people. This is known as the Fundamental Attribution Error, the propensity to explain a person’s behavior by referring to their character rather than any situational context.
9. WE BELIEVE THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO PERSUASION THAN WE ARE:
We seem to be more aware of how advertising affects other people than we are of how it affects us. And this is referred to as the Third Person Effect. People can see how an advertisement or a persuasive message affects their pears but not how it affects them. Further, there are more inclined to deny its influence, and it’s even worse when it’s an ad for something they have little interest in. you may not realize it, but the mass media message you are subjected to regularly, subconsciously affect your mood, desires, and even attitude.
10. DOPAMINE MAKES YOU ADDICTED TO SEEKING INFORMATION:
Have you ever found yourself scrolling through your social media feeds for hours on end? It all comes down to the Dopamine-Seeking Reward Loop. Dopamine is known as the pleasure chemical because it causes you to seek enjoyment and pleasurable activities such as eating, sex, drugs, and so on. But dopamine also makes you become curious and seek information! So as you’re scrolling through your feed, your dopamine loop is activated, making you want to keep scrolling for more information. The troubling part is that you will never be quite satisfied with the amount of information available! You’ll probably keep scrolling until something interrupts you.
11. REGULARLY HELPING OTHER CAN HELP YOU LIVE LONGER:
Volunteering your time, money, or energy to assist others is beneficial to the world, and yourself. Giving back to the community has been shown to boost happiness, health, and sense of well-being. Regularly volunteering can help manage stress and ward off sickness while also increasing your sense of fulfilment in life. This might be due to the fact that volunteering reduces loneliness and improves our social lives. Moreover psychologists have found that those who volunteer frequently, tend to live longer than those who don’t participate in such activities.
Now, even though these facts are fascinating and reveal a lot about human nature, keep in mind that most of them were discovered after conducting research with small groups of people. Nevertheless, they do provide a fantastic way to raise questions and begin digging into the mysterious world of psychological research.
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Word of the Day: One’s personality can be understood by the people they mingle with. — Kazi Sham.
