This is significant for entrepreneurs. Apple was absolutely on to something when it said: Think Different. Why think different? Because the masses are wrong. (In fact, the masses are asses. =) ) And this is why many startups and entrepreneurs are perceived to be pursuing inane, crazy or irrelevant ideas. Prevailing wisdom isn't, and it takes a crazy dreamer to ignore the massive and overwhelming tidal wave of group think.
Why so many minds think alike
11–17 of 17 posts
Re: Why so many minds think alike
#12For those of us who cannot watch it: what's the scoop?
Re: Why so many minds think alike
#13The research calls into question decision-making bodies that operate by consensus, Berns said. For example, in the U.S. legal system, many cases are decided by the unanimous judgment of the members of a jury.
"You can't separate those judgments from the fact that you have 12 people who have to come to a unanimous decision, and have to conform their opinion to each other, so of course it will distort how they view evidence," he said.
I wish the article expanded a little more on that point... It's both interesting and terrifying.
Re: Why so many minds think alike
#14For those of us who cannot watch it: what's the scoop?
The video doesn't say anything more than the text. It's basically the first 3 paragraphs of the article (which is like 200 words?)
What's interesting about this study is that apparently they are finding that conforming people are actually genuinely perceiving the conformed opinion, rather than just pretending (which would be a simple case of cognitive dissonance).
Re: Why so many minds think alike
#15I was thinking of the Asch experiments well before they were mentioned in the article. Notably, I seem to recall reading elsewhere that later attempts to replicate Asch's work failed, and suggestions that the particularly conformist culture of 1950s America was responsible. Yet this article suggests that what the subjects perceived, in the case where the question had an objective answer, actually changed according to brain imaging, not that they were made unsure and went along with the group.
"Asch talked about the power of the "minority of one." When a unanimous group pressures the individual, that group is weakened as soon as one person breaks off."
Wouldn't it be more accurate -- and perhaps more revealing -- to call this the "minority of two?"
Re: Why so many minds think alike
#16My take on why so many people think alike and any idea you have is usually thought up already; is that people get the same inputs. We all read practically the same news, read the same top ten books, watch the same Tv. talk about the same subjects. Sure we all have different areas(Software Entrepenuers -> HN) but in reality we all have the same inputs and outputs no matter how special we feel.
I don't remember the last time I read a top-ten book, and my list of recently-read books is probably wildly different from yours, as are both from a random third person here. The Internet opens up news and alternative news dramatically -- it's not a three-channel world and hasn't been for a long time, which brings me to TV -- a lot of people here don't watch it at all. I don't watch much. "Same subjects" might be true from a big enough view -- there are only so many categories of thought to go around, but within politics, science, world events, local events, philosophy, games, sports, etc., there's a lot of territory to make up a huge variety of subjects that people talk about.
Oh, and even though I disagree with your post and recognize that it's irrelevant to the article, I voted it up because it's relevant to the topic at hand and shouldn't have been voted down to 0.
Re: Why so many minds think alike
#17My take on why so many people think alike and any idea you have is usually thought up already; is that people get the same inputs. We all read practically the same news, read the same top ten books, watch the same Tv. talk about the same subjects. Sure we all have different areas(Software Entrepenuers -> HN) but in reality we all have the same inputs and outputs no matter how special we feel.
I don't remember the last time I read a top-ten book, and my list of recently-read books is probably wildly different from yours, as are both from a random third person here. The Internet opens up news and alternative news dramatically -- it's not a three-channel world and hasn't been for a long time, which brings me to TV -- a lot of people here don't watch it at all. I don't watch much. "Same subjects" might be tru…
Thank you. I did read the article I am just saying the majority do everything the same in a similar matter with similar inputs.
When it comes down to it we are a computers.