PsyBlog: Why We do Dumb or Irrational Things: 10 Brilliant Social Psychology Studies

Why We do Dumb or Irrational Things: 10 Brilliant Social Psychology Studies Head Turned [Photo by Ayres no graces]”
An interesting list of studies that show the idiosyncrasies of human behavior. I always wanted to have a list of these neat experiments and now here it is.

[Photo by Ayres no graces]

“I have been primarily interested in how and why ordinary people do unusual things, things that seem alien to their natures. Why do good people sometimes act evil? Why do smart people sometimes do dumb or irrational things?” –Philip Zimbardo

Like eminent social psychologist Professor Philip Zimbardo, I’m also obsessed with why we do dumb or irrational things. The answer quite often is because of other people – something social psychologists have comprehensively shown.

Over the past few months I’ve been describing 10 of the most influential social psychology studies. Each one tells a unique, insightful story relevant to all our lives, every day.

But, the question is which one has the most to teach us about human nature? Which one gives us the most piercing insight into how our thoughts and actions are affected by other people? Here is the list of the 10 studies…………….

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This a sign of major transformation taking place on the planet. I am thrilled that there are leaders in powerful positions who have put their creative minds and energies behind this initiative. My daughter brought this information home for me from her School of Naturopathy program on Public Health. The video is rather long but it does give the full picture of what is planned and expected.

The scientific revolution of the past century has brought about nothing less than a new perception of our reality, a new worldview. This means all of us are at some stage of changing the way we look at, think about and understand business, politics, nature, religion, values, health care, education, families, communities and everyday life. It’s a big change in a very short time. Books like "Dark Age Ahead" and "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" all ask what our response to this will be. Will we fight it all the way with possible dire consequences? Or will we embrace this change of fundamental perspective, and in so doing create the future we want and need?

Such scale of change can be met proactively or blind-side us. The challenge ahead is to reinvent ourselves, our economies, our institutions, our communities as ecologically sustainable, economically viable, equitable and inclusive. There are people already working for this in every community. But their numbers are not yet enough to tip the public will. The number who recognize the need is not too small. But those acting upon it are a minority.

An idea emerged . . . Universarium Fair.

View the video.

If you have higher bandwidth, view the large size version.

Ecologos

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This post is from Bob Sprankle, an elementary school educator. I really believe that this example use of technology shows the unique ways in which we are transforming how we are learning and the opening up of our learning processes. I can see how I could use it my work with practitioners who are experimenting with new tools and strategies as they work with youth.

Caught on Video | Bit By Bit 

A lot sure has changed since Edison’s Kinetoscope, as we can now carry around portable devices that are not only able to play video, but more importantly, capture video. Last week for Christmas, my wife and I gave our 9 year old daughter just such a device: a Flip Video camera. She carries it everywhere with her and it has significantly extended the filming possibilities than her previous setup offered: being confined to the living room iMac and iSight.

The Flip Video is affordable, compact, and incredibly easy to use. It comes in many different “flavors” (storage size, resolution, etc), but I’m not here to sell the Flip Video. I’m here to celebrate how much easier it continues to be to capture video and the relevance this has for teachers and students. More …………………

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