How resisting conformity can lead to real world progress | Todd Rose for Big Think
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We're hardwired to prefer to be with our group
Yet, as important as conformity is, we are not very good at estimating group consensus.
We assume the majority in a group are those with the loudest voices that are repeated the most often. Unfortunately, this can lead us to adopt beliefs that the majority never really held, resulting in collective illusions that become a reality.
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Conformity bias
When we deviate from the group, our brains trigger an 'error signal' that short circuits everything else to let you know something is fundamentally wrong, and you should pay attention.
Public shaming is an example of punishing people who deviate from the group. However, group consensus is not a guarantee that it is a fact. It may be a collective illusion.
The group may not believe something, but you are willing to conform because you think the group agrees.
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Groups can err in huge ways
History is full of examples of groups deviating in huge ways, and there's an enormous social cost.
For example, in the 60s, most whites in the South no longer approved of segregation but were convinced that most white Southerners still favoured segregation. Nobody was willing to challenge the belonging to their group, which allowed segregation to continue for many years.
We have to create a space that allows respectful disagreement in productive ways.
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