52 Lessons on the Psychology of Human Nature
Inspired by the Instagram Live conversation between Rob Henderson and Matthew Kobach.
Basics of Psychology
All of psychology is rooted in evolutionary theory
Evolutionary psychology is the study of using the theory of evolution to explain human behavior
Social psychology is the study of how others influence our behaviors
Psychology and Technology
Apps and phones are intentionally designed to make us addicted
The design is always based on bright colors
Humans equate bright colors with food or some type of resource that our body relies on
When we receive a notification, we know something will happen, but we don't know what
BF Skinner suggests that intermittent rewards are more reinforcing than predictable rewards (eg. notifications)
What We Can Do To Prevent Addiction?
Use the greyscale method on our phone
Shut off notifications
Use our willpower to fight it
Why Are Humans Designed Like This?
Evolution doesn't give us happiness for no reason
There is a reason we enjoy calorie-dense food like donuts
Eating food like that increases our survival chances because calorie-dense foods were scarce (think hunting and gathering)
Social Brain Hypothesis
Humans are smart because we are social
We need other humans to survive
The people who are best at social interactions typically rise to the top
Self Domestication Hypothesis
There are 3 types of personalities: selfish, altruistic, and a mixture of the two
If someone tries to disrupt the group, we eliminate them to prevent disharmony
We self-selected based on social skills
The Psychology Behind Social Media
Social media is used to connect with friends
More importantly, it's used as an extension of our social identity
For example, Instagram is purely driven by photos and our "appearance"
Follower count and likes are a form of prestige
It's unclear if social media is detrimental to our health
If you are prone to compare yourself to others, it is
Social Comparison Theory
We have a tendency to compare ourselves with others especially on social media where we compare ourselves with people who are better for us.
For example, why can't I look like that Instagram model?
What would you buy if others didn't see you?
Everything you do is based on other people's impressions
We, as a culture, have a fear of criticism
Local Ladder Effect
People have a tendency to compare themselves to people in their own circles
The more successful you are within your own group, the happier you are
Museums and Nostalgia
Museums are Instagram posts of the past
People believe people in the past used to be smarter than us today
This concept is called Golden Age Syndrome - the idea that the best of times were in the past
What Makes Tweets Go Viral?
Tweets using moral and emotional words are more likely to go viral
The presence of this type of language increased virality by 20%
Why Does This Happen?
We, as a society, have an increase in outrage culture
Outrage culture is the concept of holding people accountable for actions perceived as offensive
Physical and moral disgust leads to social anxiety
Social anxiety leads to rating moral transgressions more harshly
We feel pressure to engage and be outraged to stay loyal to our "tribe"
Loyalty to a Tribe
Tribalism is part of human nature
Third-party punishment - it doesn't affect me, but I say it's wrong
I want to see people be punished for their "perceived" bad actions
Harmless Torture
Sam Harris and Paul Bloom coined this as harmless torture
One small shock doesn't hurt, but a collection of small shocks hurts a lot
There is a lot of pain when people band together
Virtue Signaling is Becoming Virtual Stoning
People rally around moral ambiguity
A seemingly harmless tweet can turn into a lashing if momentum turns a certain way
Many people post something ambiguous to see how they react