Why We do Dumb or Irrational Things: 10 Brilliant Social Psychology Studies

Nothing new, but a timeless compilation of important social studies, from the Halo Effect over the Standford Prison Experiment to Conformity. The blog author, a Psychologist from London, asks his readers at the end which study tought us the most about human nature. Obedience to Authority by Milgram leads with 23% as of today. If I look at my everyday life and at what people I know do most of the time, I’d vote for Cognitive Dissonance. There seems to be nothing better than to justify something stupid with a very good reason just to balance out your brain (because our brain hates to feel unbalanced). Here’s a recent example of how politicians use to do that.  PsyBlog: Why We do Dumb or Irrational Things: 10 Brilliant Social Psychology Studies