Research in psychology and neuroscience suggests that believing in meritocracy makes people more selfish, less self-critical, and more prone to acting in discriminatory ways.

Multiple studies found that subjects who are made to believe that they had won based on skill made...

They might convince themselves their depression isn’t that bad:

• They minimize their issues. They could be less likely to gain emotional support from others if their depression goes undetected. Additionally, someone with high-functioning depression might feel guilty a...

• The closet pessimists view historical progress as coincidence but think low growth or stagnation is more likely.
• Next are the sceptics. They agree that progress is likely, but question the validity of the data or if something is missing.
• T...