Off The Record
10 Cruel Facts That Shine a New Light on the World We Live In
Scientists and researchers have forever tried learning about human behavior. It has always been a subject of interest.
According to the Evolutionary psychologists, its human nature which that guides our behavior. At times, we make decisions that have nothing to do with our consciousness.
So, here are 10 facts, derived from various researches, which will shed light on social and biological factors affecting our behavior. You might find some of them immoral and offensive. It’s okay if you don’t agree but that’s the harsh reality!
1. You will perceive unpleasant people as stronger and bigger than they are in reality
Californian anthropologists, Daniel M.T. Fessler and Colin Holbrook, are of the view that in earlier times, our ancestors gauged their enemies by size, meaning the bigger the enemy, the stronger the army. So, they set out to experiment on this notion.
These scientists tied some of their participants to heavy chairs to make it look like they were being experimented for psychological effects of limb paralysis. Then, they were shown pictures of aggressive men followed by an assessment of how tall and strong they thought these men were. It turned out that the helpless participants believed that the size of their potential enemy was much larger than those who weren’t tied down.
It’s probably because you don’t want to deal with unpleasant people and you avoid them by thinking the risks of confrontation are too high.
2. When we are in a bad mood, we tend to believe different prophecies
A researcher from Australia, Kathryn Greenaway, conducted a fascinating experiment on this regard. She divided her participants into three groups: one group was asked to recall pleasant memories, the second group had to recall anything insignificant and the third group was asked to recall a humiliating memory. Later, they were all asked about various prophecies and paranormal abilities. The group which recalled unpleasant memories were more prone to believing these prophecies. It was concluded that people become easily influenced if they are upset.
3. Money can actually make you happy
An experiment by Grant E. Donnelly revealed that money is indeed very important. It is true till a certain level though – beyond this level, more money makes us less satisfied. It also depends on the origin of the wealth – hard-earned money is more satisfactory than a lottery win. If there is freedom of choice and lesser tension regarding financial problems, money will tend to make you and your loved ones happy.
4. If you buy extravagant and impractical things, it might mean you are poor
A fact: people with upper to middle incomes tend to opt for a car which lies in the middle range where people with below-average income are inclined to buy an impressive and expensive car to highlight their status. Why? Well-off people are well aware of the maintenance that a posh car will require while poor people are mainly concerned with showing off their status, unaware of the future expense the car will drain. Their wealth is an illusion.
5. We tend to shun the facts which don’t go well with our beliefs
It is probably one of the most observable yet denied fact we all are well aware of – ironic, right? Various researches have proven that we refuse to acknowledge proof if it contradicts with what we already believe.
Our subjective realities can be hanged if we self-educate, make ourselves aware of the facts and admit our mistakes. The problem is, we stand to our convictions if these facts lead to a conclusion which is unpleasant for us.
6. Of course, a smoker knows just how deadly nicotine is but he still smokes
It is because of what psychologists called cognitive dissonance – a discrepancy between our beliefs and our actions. It is problematic because, instead of looking for the truth, this person will find an excuse to back the behavior. A smoker will say he smokes because his satisfaction overpowers the harm to his health.
7. Having sons decrease the probability of divorce
Economists Gordon B. Dahl and Enrico Moretti’s research lead to an interesting discovery: couples who have at least one son are at lesser risk of getting a divorce than the couple who has only daughters. It’s pretty hard to believe this notion in the 21stcentury, no?
Well, these researchers believed our biological instincts to be the cause. Since the value of a male partner is defined by his wealth, status, and power, a father has to make sure that his son will inherit these resources.
You will also be interested in reading: Psychology Reveals 14 Facts That Will Make Your Life Easier
8. Good looking couples usually have daughters
Trivers-Willard hypothesis says: wealthy parents have more sons while less wealthy but better-looking parents have more daughters. Remember how children inherit wealth, looks and status from the parents – wealthier a family, more the probability of male children and if it’s physical attractiveness, more the daughters. There is a 65% chance a son will be born in a millionaire’s family.
There are, of course, always exceptions. It isn’t entirely true!
9. When you have issues of self-confidence, you are more inclined to humiliating others
When you have low self-confidence, you tend to compensate for it through brute force. It causes a desire to insult and humiliate others. However, you wouldn’t ever admit to it. You are certain that your negativity has nothing to do with yourself-awareness.
10. Bill Gates and Paul McCartney have something in common with the criminals
According to the age-crime curve, men tend to exhibit risky behavior during teenage years rather than when they are in the 20-years-old to 40-years-old age zone – the tendency decreases and at a mature age, it completely disappears.
The research by Psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa concluded that age-genius curve (the distribution of age of musicians, writers, and artists at the time of the greatest contributions in their careers) is similar to the age distribution of criminals.
Take Bill Gates for an example. He made many breakthroughs earlier in his life but doesn’t anymore. The explanation for this behavior is that men want to impress others in their youth and desires fade as they grow older.
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