14 DAY TRIAL // When people lack control and outcome predicting possibilities, they tend to think there's something wrong with reality, that there are incomprehensible forces at work, and their frustration and previous experiences twine into unnatural explanations and behaviors.
There's no better explanation to how our mind functions during disconcerting situations than this quote from an episode from “The Simpsons” called “Much Apu About Nothing”, based on an old Sufi story about Mullah Nasrudin, “Homer: Well, there's not a bear in sight. The Bear Patrol is sure doing its job. Lisa: That's specious reasoning, Dad. Homer: Thank you, sweetie. Lisa: Dad, what if I were to tell you that this rock keeps away tigers. Homer: Uh-huh, and how does it work? Lisa: It doesn't work. It's just a stupid rock. Homer: I see. Lisa: But you don't see any tigers around, do you? Homer: Lisa, I'd like to buy your rock”.
A new study linked the self- or socially-created myths, superstitions and conspiracies to the constant need for structure, clarity and safety amidst a chaotic surrounding reality. Whatever people don't fully comprehend and are not able to explain automatically generates this kind of beliefs and behaviors, which sometimes become extensions or distortions of reality itself. This makes individuals prone to accept and see connections that, in fact, don't really exist.
The study was conducted by Adam Galinsky, the Morris and Alice Kaplan's Professor of Ethics and Decision in Management from the Kellogg School of Management at the Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, together with lead author Jennifer Whitson, assistant professor at the McCombs School of Business from the University of Texas in Austin. It consisted of a series of six tests which helped the scientists prove that people who lack control are more prone to seeing non-existing images, more susceptible to conspiracy and more likely to create superstitions. As Galinsky claims, “The less control people have over their lives, the more likely they are to try and regain control through mental gymnastics. Feelings of control are so important to people that a lack of control is inherently threatening. While some misperceptions can be bad or lead one astray, they're extremely common and most likely satisfy a deep and enduring psychological need”.
Based on Whitson's explanations, humans have an atavistic need for control over situations, minimizing uncertainty and for the ability to estimate positive outcomes. When these are missing, they tend to believe that there are some mischievous conundrums responsible. “People see false patterns in all types of data, imagining trends in stock markets, seeing faces in static, and detecting conspiracies between acquaintances. This suggests that lacking control leads to a visceral need for order - even imaginary order,” says Whitson. Based on the results of the tests, Galinsky believes the answer to this problem lies in regaining control, “It's exciting - restoring people's sense of control normalized their perceptions and behavior”.