Can You Believe What You See With Your Own Eyes?

Do you believe it because you saw it with your own eyes? Or do you believe it because everyone else says it's true?

We like to think that we trust what we see, but don't be so sure.

Which 2 lines are equal length?

Researchers tested whether a subject will stand alone against group consensus, even when the group consensus is clearly wrong, or buckle to peer pressure.

A group of students were chosen for the test. All but one student was "in on it." The students all agreed to choose the wrong line to see how the real test subject would respond.

What they found  was rather disturbing.

When asked to perform a simple test of choosing which line from Exhibit 2 is equal in length to the line in Exhibit 1, the real test subject got the answer right until it became apparent that all others in the group were choosing a different line. Then the test subject changed their answer to match the group.

Not only did they change their answer to match the majority, but MRI results also indicate they came to believe the new answer was the correct one!

In other words, ...when faced with a majority opinion that is clearly contrary to physical reality, almost half of the population will not only go along with the majority, but will come to actually believe that the majority is right.

It explains a lot, doesn't it? Why some things in history, and even real time, can possibly happen. Think about this knowledge in the wrong hands and how dangerous it can be. It becomes easier to control large groups of people if you can build up a majority to believe in some thing and be vocal about it.

Against the  Flow
http://www.aish.com/sp/ph/Against_the_Flow.html