Our Brains Adjust Our Opinions To Fit In With Our Group
When we disagree with our group, our brains make note of it to change our opinion later.
Why is it so difficult for the person who thinks differently to make headway in most organizations? And why does an entire generation suddenly believe things that are very different from people 10 years older, and take those beliefs as obvious? The answer lies in the brain.
A new study from HSE University in Russia finds that when we have a different opinion from the majority, our brains make a special note of it. Why? The brain leaves a ‘trace’ when there is disagreement so it can later change our opinion to align with our social group. In other words, our brains actively track our group’s opinion and then make sure we fall in line.
And that explains a lot. Anyone who has ever been an adolescent knows how hard it can be to go against the crowd. We spend years of our formative development striving to fit in, to conform to our group. As we get older we may sometimes celebrate the independent thinker, but it still takes a lot of energy to go against group opinion.
From fashion fads to political trends to our ability to get along with the people we live with, our brains are set up to make sure we fit in. “Our study shows the…
