We often think that we know each other to the last detail and that we correctly predict our reactions in various situations. These fascinating experiments proved the opposite, proving that we are much more complicated than we think, and that we just don't know ourselves that well. Read on to find out which seven experiments have shown that nature surpasses all our knowledge and that we hide more inside us than we think.
Fascinating experiments that prove we don't know each other:
1. We can force ourselves to do anything we want.
In 2000, Marco Evaristti prepared a social experiment where he placed goldfish in 10 mixers with water. Each participant in the experiment had the opportunity to press the mixer button and kill the goldfish. One of the participants killed the goldfish an hour after the experiment began. Apparently, our nature often forces us to be cruel for no particular reason.
2. We adapt reality according to our needs and expectations.
In 1993, a group of scientists from Ohio used make-up to scar the faces of several women. After looking in the mirror, they were asked to meet some strangers. Scientists then, under the pretext of applying face cream to protect the skin, almost completely removed the scars. Then the women were again asked to meet some new people. Many women said that they were again exposed to different types of discrimination. They even listed words and actions that were used as insults. Although none of the participants in the experiment had visible facial defects (the scars had already been removed), the women felt discriminated against because they thought they still had scars on their faces.
3. We notice much less than we think.
In the next attempt, the player approached the pawns and asked them to help him find his way around the city. While the pedestrians were giving instructions, the conversation was interrupted by two other players carrying a larger door between the first player and the pedestrians. During this time, they changed the player on the other side of the goal. This one had a different height, clothes, hairstyle and voice. Most pedestrians did not notice the difference and did not realize that another person was standing in front of them. So how blind we are to change shows how selective our perception is.
4. Willpower has a direct impact on our success.
T. i. Marshmallow test were first performed 40 years ago. It later turned out that preschoolers who were willing to wait longer (compared to those who couldn't wait even a minute) had fewer behavior problems in high school, were less likely to become addicted to drugs, or were subject to obesity. The scientists continued the study and this time invited middle-aged people (about 40 years old) to the experiment. They were shown a certain photo or image on the computer and then asked to perform different tasks at the same time. Those who had less willpower and patience as children had a harder time coping with the tasks, and the image on the computer was a much greater distraction for them.
Scientists emphasize that lack of will cannot be equated with deficiencies in cognitive development. In some cases, denying pleasure can become the wrong choice. After all, people who follow an emotional impulse can often become great businessmen.
5. There is much more cruelty in us than you might think.
You may already be familiar with the experiment that was carried out in the basement of Stanford University, which was turned into a prison for the experiment. A group of male students who were tested for mental stability and health before the experiment were invited to participate in the experiment where they were divided into two groups of 12. One group was a group of guards and the other group was a group of prisoners. All were paid the same amount, and the experiment was to last 4 weeks. Prisoners were given prison clothes and numbers instead of names. The guards were dressed in guard uniforms, given rubber bands and sunglasses to hide their eyes. Their job was to control the prisoners without using force. On the second day of the experiment, the prisoners resisted and the guards used a fire extinguisher on them. Soon the guards forced the prisoners to sleep naked on the concrete, and the use of the shower and toilets became a privilege. 4 guards out of 12 used sadism on the prisoners and cruelly mocked them. One of the prisoners decided to go on a hunger strike, for which he was locked in a small closet. Other prisoners had to give up their blankets or remain in solitary confinement. Only one person agreed to do so. The experiment ended up lasting only a week, and many of the guards did not want to end the experiment. Three films were made about the experiment: the German thriller Das Experiment (2001) and two American versions The Experiment (2010) and The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015).
6. Authority transcends our moral compass.
How much suffering are ordinary people willing to inflict on others if it is imposed on them by authority or if it is part of their job? In the Yale University experiment, students performed various tasks while the teacher checked them and punished the students for mistakes with electric shocks (the students were actors and only pretended to be shocked by electricity). From time to time, the teacher went to another room, where there was a generator with levers on which the voltage was written. The teacher was therefore aware of the danger of the experiment he was conducting. He started with a voltage of 15 volts, and for each error he had to increase the voltage (up to 450 volts). When the teacher used the strongest punishment, the organizer of the experiment asked him not to let go of the tension lever. If the teacher seemed to have concerns about the punishment, the organizer asked him to continue with the punishment, as it was necessary. Among other things, the teacher was assured that the students would not be seriously injured during the experiment. The results showed that the majority of teachers (26 out of 40) used the highest voltage and used it until the organizer ordered the end of the experiment. Normal adults seem willing to harm others when ordered to do so by authority.
READ MORE: Three unusual signs of intelligence
7. Our belief prevents us from being able to perceive reality objectively.
Arthur Ellison, an electrical engineering professor known for his humorous nature, decided one day to end his class with a game. He asked a group of volunteers (some of whom were his flatmates) to focus on the iron vase. They had to lift the vase with the help of their thoughts...and they succeeded. The vase was apparently floating. Arthur wasn't surprised by this as the vase was floating because of him and his electromagnet. The students did not know this and their opinions differed. Some participants said that they saw some gray matter lifting the vase, others disagreed and claimed that nothing happened and that the vase did not move at all. All students adjusted their opinions according to what they believed in, or what their beliefs were.
