No, I'm not saying everyone here is a crappy person. I mean the human race in general tends to have problems due to a few specific things that are hardwired into us:
1. Confirmation Bias - Bias towards "facts" that support our pre-existing bias, and cause us to disregard facts that go against it (see: Every political speaking point, ever). - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias
2. Fundamental Attribution Error - We're hardwired to have a double standard. Obesity is a good example - how often have you told a person how "easy" it is to not be fat? Now apply the same logic to:
Smoking
Depression
Being single
Financial level
Does it work? Do you tell people that they're not millionaires because they're lazy? That not having a significant other is purely their own fault because they must be antisocial?
http://216.22.10.76/wiki/The_Fundamental_Attribution_Error
3. The Trust Gap - Everyone is out to screw you over. The problem is that once you assume the other party is lying, it takes monumental effort to get past that. You will likely not hear a single word or acknowledge your own fallacies and failings.
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/03/30/the-trust-gap-why-people-are-so-cynical/
4. Neglect of Probability - Seat belts are a great example. I knew someone who would argue, vehemently, that they didn't want to get "trapped" in a wrecked car. They were certain that was the most likely scenario in a car crash and a seat belt (in actuality, VERY remote scenario). People like to point to the lottery, but that's a minor quibble compared to things, like, the war on terror. In 2011, we reached 1.3 trillion spent on total deaths since 1975 of 14,000. That's $90 million per death. In comparison, industrial accidents kill the equivalent of 2 9/11 attacks per year, and cancer kills the equivalent 200 9/11 attacks per year. But instead we worry about being killed by terrorists.
Another is gun control (and no, I don't think that LAWS are needed for this issues, so don't use it as an excuse, please). If you live in a low crime area, and have a family, then you are much more likely for your gun to be involved in an accident than to fend off an attacker. This is primarily due to improperly securing your firearm, but the numbers still stand - if you live in a low crime area, purchasing a gun for self defense is mostly a waste of money. That's just pure statistics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neglect_of_probability
5. Argumentative theory of Reasoning - I'm right, and you're wrong, and it doesn't matter what the facts say. That's the basis of that. Keep in mind, the ancestors most likely to pass on their genes were the ones who WON arguments, which is now what we're hardwired to do. Being right is less important than WINNING. How often has someone sat there and argued with you about something when every fact in the known universe showed them to be wrong? Politics, of course, is the #1 culprit. It can happen in the work place very easily, though. I work in the IT industry myself, and while you might think it's pretty cut and dry, it really isn't. People can come up with a hundred reasons why to do or not do something; it is dreadfully irrelevant if those reasons have a basis in reality.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/arts/people-argue-just-to-win-scholars-assert.html?_r=5&
1. Confirmation Bias - Bias towards "facts" that support our pre-existing bias, and cause us to disregard facts that go against it (see: Every political speaking point, ever). - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias
2. Fundamental Attribution Error - We're hardwired to have a double standard. Obesity is a good example - how often have you told a person how "easy" it is to not be fat? Now apply the same logic to:
Smoking
Depression
Being single
Financial level
Does it work? Do you tell people that they're not millionaires because they're lazy? That not having a significant other is purely their own fault because they must be antisocial?
http://216.22.10.76/wiki/The_Fundamental_Attribution_Error
3. The Trust Gap - Everyone is out to screw you over. The problem is that once you assume the other party is lying, it takes monumental effort to get past that. You will likely not hear a single word or acknowledge your own fallacies and failings.
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/03/30/the-trust-gap-why-people-are-so-cynical/
4. Neglect of Probability - Seat belts are a great example. I knew someone who would argue, vehemently, that they didn't want to get "trapped" in a wrecked car. They were certain that was the most likely scenario in a car crash and a seat belt (in actuality, VERY remote scenario). People like to point to the lottery, but that's a minor quibble compared to things, like, the war on terror. In 2011, we reached 1.3 trillion spent on total deaths since 1975 of 14,000. That's $90 million per death. In comparison, industrial accidents kill the equivalent of 2 9/11 attacks per year, and cancer kills the equivalent 200 9/11 attacks per year. But instead we worry about being killed by terrorists.
Another is gun control (and no, I don't think that LAWS are needed for this issues, so don't use it as an excuse, please). If you live in a low crime area, and have a family, then you are much more likely for your gun to be involved in an accident than to fend off an attacker. This is primarily due to improperly securing your firearm, but the numbers still stand - if you live in a low crime area, purchasing a gun for self defense is mostly a waste of money. That's just pure statistics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neglect_of_probability
5. Argumentative theory of Reasoning - I'm right, and you're wrong, and it doesn't matter what the facts say. That's the basis of that. Keep in mind, the ancestors most likely to pass on their genes were the ones who WON arguments, which is now what we're hardwired to do. Being right is less important than WINNING. How often has someone sat there and argued with you about something when every fact in the known universe showed them to be wrong? Politics, of course, is the #1 culprit. It can happen in the work place very easily, though. I work in the IT industry myself, and while you might think it's pretty cut and dry, it really isn't. People can come up with a hundred reasons why to do or not do something; it is dreadfully irrelevant if those reasons have a basis in reality.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/arts/people-argue-just-to-win-scholars-assert.html?_r=5&
