10 Theories about human behavior that help you better understand the world

Evolutionary psychologists consider human nature to be the reason for most of our actions. People actually make decisions that are unrelated to conscious thought. Our propensity to risk or buy expensive things is a developed psychological mechanism. We don’t consciously choose danger and prestige, they just seem to make our lives more interesting.

In this post, the awesome.club wants to emphasize the biological and social factors that influence human behavior. Some discoveries may seem immoral, lacking in common sense or even offensive. In no way do we intend for you to agree with the authors of all the studies, but we just want to show that there are different points of view that explain the reasons for our actions.

Two California anthropologists, Daniel MT Fessler and Colin Holbrook, believe that size was our ancestors’ most important criterion for evaluating the enemy. The great is the strong and mighty.

They performed an interesting experiment. Some of the subjects were strapped to a heavy seat to study the psychological effects of paralysis of the extremities. Then these people were shown pictures of aggressive men and asked to estimate their height and musculature. It was found that the subjects attached to the seat estimated the size of the alleged adversary as being much larger than those who were loose.

A person who is unpleasant in your eyes may appear larger than he really is. this is caused for the lack of desire or inability to put it in its place🇧🇷 That is why you are in no hurry to justify the unjustifiable and analyze all possible risks.

Katharine Greenway from Australia performed a very interesting experiment. She divided people into 3 groups. One of them was asked to recall some moments of triumph and joy in their lives; to another, to remember any foolishness; and to the third, that he remembered something humiliating. Then they were asked several questions related to omens, foresight and extrasensory abilities. Those who remembered the unpleasant episodes were much more willing to accept claims that the prophecies came true.

Dr. Greenaway formulated his conclusions in the article “Losing Control Increases Belief in Precognition and Belief in Precognition Increases Control”. It really is much easier to influence a person when he is in a bad mood. The deadbeat seers possibly know this very well.

In 1964, the Beatles sang that “love cannot be bought with money”. But they didn’t say anything about whether it was possible to buy happiness with money. Now scientists have found the answer to this question: yes, it is possible.

A study by Grant Donnelly showed that wealth really matters. But after having reached a certain level of income, a further increase in money makes one less and less satisfied. The source of wealth also influences our happiness. Winning the lottery or a marriage of convenience gives a person less happiness than if he worked to earn that money.

The main reasons why money brings happiness are the freedom, the possibility of choice and the lack of worries associated with the lack of it. And the opportunity to make loved ones happier.

Probably, in every home there are a lot of useless things. Deep fryers, waffle makers, a treadmill that collects dust in a corner, and cute shoes that are impossible to wear. They become eternal “suitcases without a handle”: they are useless, but it is a pity to throw them away.

The most interesting thing is that people with above-average incomes prefer practical cars with an average price, but people whose incomes are below average often buy expensive and prestigious vehicles that should emphasize their status.

The fact is that rich people are aware of the cost of maintenance and fuel consumption for a given model. And the poor rarely think about how they are going to insure their BMW and how they are going to pay for gas. The main thing is to achieve the attribute of a rich life, the rest does not matter.

The limit of dreams of the poor is to get rich to buy new “toys”. If you have extra money, you immediately buy something: a huge plasma television or a new iPhone model. It’s true that your wealth is an illusionbecause as soon as the income runs out, you have to limit yourself in everything again.

On any controversial topic, such as health care reform or same-sex marriage, the debate will immediately intensify. But why, even in the presence of undeniable facts, do people not change their point of view? After a series of investigations, it was concluded that people refuse to accept evidence that contradicts their opinion.

Many people are critical of vaccination, claiming that it leads to autism. If the facts show that there is no connection between the vaccine and autism, then the person is unlikely to renounce his views and oppose this just because of his principles.

Lack of objectivity is dealt with with healthy doses of facts, self-education, and the ability to admit you’re wrong. But the power of facts is far from unlimited. People are ready to “run away” from evidence and defend their beliefs, just to avoid coming to unpleasant conclusions for themselves.

You consider yourself a practical adult, and so you go and spend your last penny on some sneakers on sale. And instead of joy, you feel guilt: this is the third pair of the month. The smoker knows that nicotine is harmful to health, but he continues to smoke. The girl who is on a diet desperately wants a cake, although she understands that this desire takes her away from her goal. All of these situations are examples of cognitive dissonance.

This happens when your ideas, beliefs and behaviors are in conflict with each other. The problem is that, when trying to get rid of cognitive dissonance, the person is often not engaged in the search for the truth, but in the explanation and justification of his bad habits. I smoke because the pleasure outweighs the harm and I get full at night because my stomach wants it. Other points of view are not considered.

Economists Gordon B. Dahl and Enrico Moretti conducted research that resulted in a strange fact. Couples with at least one child are less likely to get divorced than couples with only daughters.

Researchers believe that our biological instincts are to blame. Since the value of a male partner is largely determined by his condition, status and power, the father must ensure that the child inherits his resources. As per the trend, this trait is seen more often in wealthy families.

Perhaps a few centuries ago, this theory seemed believable, but that doesn’t make you want to believe it in the 21st century, despite the research results. Furthermore, the social roles of men and women have changed significantly in recent years. It is not surprising that Edmond de Goncourt called statistics “the first of the inexact sciences”.

According to the Trivers-Willard hypothesis, rich fathers have more sons, while less rich but better-looking fathers have more daughters. This is due to the fact that boys inherit their fathers’ appearance, condition and social status.

Sex prevails and needs what it can inherit from its parents. If it’s physical attraction, then it’s more likely to be a girl; if it is money, then a child will be born. The probability of the birth of a child in the family of millionaires is 65%. But during wars and disasters, girls are often born.

But here life also makes its own adjustments. Howard Schulz, Jim Carrey and Tom Cruise were born into very poor families, which did not prevent them from achieving success. So here, too, it is impossible to cut everything with the same scissors.

The desire to offend, insult or humiliate another person does not arise from a good life. A scandalous lady on the bus, a man who says his wife is fat and dumb, children at school who make fun of a classmate are completely insecure and use a display of aggression to increase their sense of self-worth.

At the same time, these people are sincerely convinced that a negative attitude towards others has no connection with their inner self-perception. So, before you insult someone, ask yourself: aren’t you trying to assert yourself and raise unstable self-esteem in this way?

Male propensity for risky behavior increases in early adolescence, declines rapidly from age 20 to 40, and softens in adulthood. It’s called the age-crime curve.

Psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa’s study showed that the age-genius curve (the relationship between age and productivity among musicians, writers, and artists) resembles the age-crime curve.

Bill Gates has become a successful businessman and philanthropist, but he no longer makes brilliant inventions. J. D. Salinger did not publish anything for over 30 years. This behavior is explained by the fact that, From an early age, men have a much greater desire to impress, and over the years, this desire gradually disappears.🇧🇷 This is most often associated with marriage and the birth of children.

In one survey, students were presented with two alcohol-related slogans: “What sobriety tries to hide, alcohol can decipher” and “What sobriety hides, alcohol exposes”.

Both statements are exactly the same. But the students rated the rhyming statement as the most accurate and true — the search phrases were in English, the rhyme was in the first slogan🇧🇷 The reason is that rhyme increases the speed of perception and the processing of information by our brain.

A person believes rhyming sentences more willingly than simple sentences. Sellers often use this effect by posting short verses in ads that mention their…