5 Interesting Psychological Facts About Human Behavior
Have you ever wondered why we think, feel, and behave in the ways that we do? It’s a source of fascination for many.
After all, the way our minds function has a lot to do with how we do things and how we are.
Human behavior, brain function, and mental processes have been studied extensively.
And while there are still a lot of unanswered questions, and there is a long way to go, by learning about the fundamentals of behavior and the human mind, we're able to gain a better understanding of ourselves and others.
In this article, we have gathered some truly interesting facts about the psychology of human behavior that will help us better understand why we think, feel, and behave in certain ways.
1- We Believe That Other People Are More Susceptible to Persuasion Than We Are.
We seem to be more aware of how advertising affects other people. Then we are of how it affects us, and this is referred to as the third-person effect.
People can see how an advertisement or a persuasive message affects their peers, but not how it affects them.
Further, they are more inclined to deny its influence, and it’s even worse when it’s an ad for something they have little interest in.
You may not realize it but, the mass media messages you are subjected to subconsciously affect your mood, desires, and even attitude.
2- We Blame a Person's Behavior On Their Personality (Unless It's Us)
Have you ever been infuriated by someone cutting you off while driving, only to do the same thing to someone else a few minutes later?
And while the person who cut you off enraged you, your reaction was along the lines of “what a jerk”. You're likely to have justified your behavior to yourself since you were in a hurry, and you only did it once.
Unfortunately, we tend to believe that others do bad things because they are bad people.
This is known as the fundamental attribution error, the propensity to explain a person's behavior by referring to their character rather than any situational context.
3- Speaking in A Foreign Language Changes Your Decisions.
You might think that people would make the same decisions no matter what language they were using.
Or that the difficulty of using a foreign language would make decisions less systematic. However, the opposite is true.
Using a foreign language is shown to reduce decision-making biases. When speaking a foreign language, we need to suppress our native language.
And, to think rationally, we have to suppress our innate intuitions. Brain imaging studies show the same parts of the brain are involved in both foreign-language use and rational thought.
And when foreign-language speakers activate their brain's inhibition center, their intuitions and emotions are also inhibited. As a result, individuals make more rational decisions when speaking a foreign language.
4- Rejection Hurts You.
Have you ever felt like you got punched in the stomach after being rejected by someone? Why is that? Well, apparently, that's how our minds are wired to respond.
Turns out, the same parts of our brains get activated when we experience rejection as when we experience physical pain.
That's why even small rejections hurt more than they should, as they elicit literal, though emotional, pain.
5 - Daydreamers Are More Creative.
Do you tend to get in trouble for daydreaming in class or during a meeting at work? Mind-wandering is often viewed as a negative trait, but it's not necessarily the case.
Daydreaming may indicate intelligence and creativity! According to research, highly measured intelligence and creativity go hand-in-hand with high levels of mind-wandering.
What's more, frequent daydreamers not only tend to score higher on IQ tests, but their brains also appear to be more efficient.
Yes, some people have more efficient brains than others which translates into an increased capacity to think, and, as a result, their brains may wander when performing easy tasks.
They can zone in and out of discussions or tasks when appropriate, then seamlessly tune back in without losing crucial details or steps.
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