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David Epstein: Thinking tools for 'wicked' problems
Join the lauded author of Range in conversation with best-selling author and poker pro Maria Konnikova!
04 August, 2020
UPDATE: Unfortunately, Malcolm Gladwell was not able to make the live stream due to scheduling issues. Fortunately, David Epstein was able to jump in at a moment's notice. We hope you enjoy this great yet unexpected episode of Big Think Live. Our thanks to David and Maria for helping us deliver a show, it is much appreciated.
<p><br>--<br><br>In this Big Think Live session, <strong>Malcolm Gladwell</strong> and host <strong>Maria Konnikova</strong> will explore the quirks of the human mind, the ins and outs of writing about psychology, and the nature of storytelling through the framework of Gladwell's podcast series <a href="http://revisionisthistory.com/seasons" target="_blank">Revisionist History</a> and his latest book <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316478520?tag=bigthink00-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank">Talking to Strangers</a></em>. <br>
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Ask your questions for Malcolm Gladwell during the audience Q&A!
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<strong>Join the stream at 12 pm EDT on Tuesday, August 4.</strong>
</p><h2>STREAMING LINKS</h2><p>
<strong><a href="https://edge.bigthink.com/live_streams/106" target="_self">Big Think Edge</a> | <a href="https://youtu.be/_jb0pM9FrZk" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BigThinkdotcom/posts/10157549491758527" target="_blank">Facebook</a></strong>
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<strong>Malcolm Gladwell</strong> is the author of five <em>New York Times</em> bestsellers: <em>The Tipping Point</em>, <em>Blink</em>, <em>Outliers</em>, <em>What the Dog Saw</em>, and <em>David and Goliath</em>. His newest book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316478520?tag=bigthink00-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank"><em>Talking to Strangers</em></a> (2019), is a darker-than-usual look at the miscommunications and assumptions that occur when we interact with people we don't know, told through historical case studies like Sandra Bland, Bernie Madoff, and Adolf Hitler. Gladwell is also the co-founder of Pushkin Industries, an audio content company that produces the podcasts <a href="http://revisionisthistory.com/seasons" target="_blank">Revisionist History</a>, which reconsiders things both overlooked and misunderstood, and <a href="https://brokenrecordpodcast.com/" target="_blank">Broken Record</a>, where he, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam interview musicians across a wide range of genres. Gladwell has been included in the TIME 100 Most Influential People list and touted as one of Foreign Policy's Top Global Thinkers.
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<strong>Maria Konnikova</strong> is the author of two <em>New York Times</em> bestsellers: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143109871?tag=bigthink00-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank"><em>The Confidence Game</em></a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/014312434X?tag=bigthink00-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank"><em>Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes</em></a>. Her new book is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/052552262X?tag=bigthink00-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank"><em>The Biggest Bluff</em></a> (June 2020). While researching <em>The Biggest Bluff</em>, journalist Konnikova became an international poker champion and the winner of over $300,000 in tournament earnings—and inadvertently turned into a professional poker player. She is a regular contributing writer for <em>The New Yorker</em>, and her writing has been featured in Best American Science and Nature Writing and has been translated into over twenty languages. Maria also hosts the podcast <a href="http://thegriftpodcast.com/" target="_blank">The Grift</a> from Panoply Media, a show that explores con artists and the lives they ruin, and is currently a visiting fellow at NYU's School of Journalism. She graduated from Harvard University and received her PhD in psychology from Columbia University.
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<div class="amazon-assets-widget__title" style="display: block;">Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know</div>
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<div class="amazon-assets-widget__title" style="display: block;">The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win</div>
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Like it or not, you can't ignore how people look or sound
A new study from Ohio State University details implicit bias.
24 July, 2020
Photo: fizkes / Shutterstock
- New research from Ohio State claims we cannot separate how someone looks and sounds.
- Volunteers were asked to look at photos and listen to audio, and were told to ignore their face or voice.
- "They were unable to entirely eliminate the irrelevant information," said associate professor Kathryn Campbell-Kibler.
<p>Postmates is a way of life in Los Angeles. So when a young Black driver recently <a href="https://twitter.com/davenewworld_2/status/1286254750573514753?s=10" target="_blank">crossed paths with a woman</a> outside of her building while delivering food to another apartment, you might initially be shocked at her response. While the woman claims her reaction is not racist—not only does she refuse him entry, but after he calls the apartment and talks to the man on other line, she even denies that he lives in the building—her use of the term "boy" says it all. </p><p>Would she have reacted similarly if the driver was white? While no definitive answer can be given, a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/josl.12418" target="_blank">new study</a> from Ohio State University finds that his race is not only an issue, the woman would have not been able to ignore it even if she wanted to. </p><p>The distance between implicit and explicit bias has been studied for years. In this research, published in Journal of Sociolinguistics, Associate Professor <a href="https://linguistics.osu.edu/people/campbellkibler.1" target="_blank">Kathryn Campbell-Kibler</a>, in the Department of Linguistics at OSU, asked 1,034 volunteers to look at photos and listen to audio of people speaking to determine if they immediately judged someone by their looks or accents. </p><p>Almost across the board, they did.</p>
8 powerful speakers that might make you think differently about racism | Big Think
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="310eb2418d44ed9aed7fb66364904aaa"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ox04P7Gy2eY?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>In some cases, volunteers were told to evaluate how "good-looking" the people in the photos were; in others, they were asked to judge their accents. One cohort was not given guidance; they looked at a photo and listened to a voice. Others were told to ignore the face while listening, and vice-versa. Some were even told that the voice was not from the same person they were looking at. </p><p>It didn't matter. In most cases, volunteers expressed critical judgment of either their face or voice. As Campbell-Kibler <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200722083758.htm" target="_blank">says</a>, </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Even though we told them to ignore the voice, they couldn't do it completely. Some of the information from the voice seeped into their evaluation of the face."</p><p>Detaching face from voice is a difficult endeavor. The first time I heard Welsh actor Matthew Rhys' <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu77rb0mww4" target="_blank">true accent</a> was while watching "The Wine Show," which he filmed shortly after wrapping up work on "The Americans." It took me a few minutes to rationalize what I was seeing. Now I can't get his actual speaking voice out of my head while watching the drunken private investigator transform into the lawyer we knew Perry Mason would become.</p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUxMTM3OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDU1OTM5NH0.kYNUbYpz6NJzKRb3TeOl7dh3mHv_Id2XsqYKliToCVw/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C8%2C0%2C116&height=700" id="51d52" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="23d9370cd92738127a30c593d22b5030" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Jonathan Gartrelle (L), participating in a protest against police brutality, confronts a demonstrator taking part in a counter demonstration advertised as a Law and Order Rally that was also supporting President Donald Trump on June 14, 2020 in Miami, Florida.
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
<p>Rhys is paid to speak English with an American accent. The stakes are low for me as a viewer. Out in the real world, where racism is as prevalent as ever, the situation is different. Implicit bias affects everyone, which means racism and xenophobia are conditions we have to work at correcting in ourselves. It won't come natural. Campbell-Kibler continues,</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"We found that people could exercise some control over what information to favor, the voice or the face, depending on what we told them to do. But in most cases, they were unable to entirely eliminate the irrelevant information."</p><p>She notes that even though most participants were white, they were careful to not racially stereotype. Volunteers told to ignore faces while listening to accents performed best for this reason, though some admitted they had to make a conscious effort to do so. </p><p>Volunteers took no issue with judging the photos good-looking, believing looks to be subjective. Campbell-Kibler wants to follow up this research using videos instead of photographs to observe the impact of watching others on the screen. </p><p>The takeaway: we are influenced by all of the information available to us at all times. Our biases will make themselves apparent. Course-correcting is not natural, but thankfully, it is possible. </p><p>--</p><p><em>Stay in touch with Derek on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/derekberes" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DerekBeresdotcom" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://derekberes.substack.com/" target="_blank">Substack</a>. His next book is</em> "<em>Hero's Dose: The Case For Psychedelics in Ritual and Therapy."</em></p>
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The real-world effect of coronavirus conspiracy theories
This is what happens when the fringe becomes mainstream.
20 July, 2020
Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
- New research finds that YouTube is the worst disseminator of coronavirus misinformation.
- People that rely on social media for their news are more likely to believe coronavirus conspiracy beliefs.
- With only 50 percent of Americans willing to get a vaccination, conspiracy theories are fueling a public health crisis.
<p>As Florida becomes the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/florida-invited-the-nation-to-its-reopening--then-it-became-a-new-coronavirus-epicenter/2020/07/07/74645c82-c069-11ea-b178-bb7b05b94af1_story.html" target="_blank">global epicenter</a> of the novel coronavirus pandemic with over 15,000 cases reported in one day and 3.3 million cases overall, a Windermere restaurant <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7174015/coronavirus-florida-no-mask-restaurant/" target="_blank">celebrated</a> by offering free grilled cheese sandwiches to any customer showing up without a mask.</p><p>The region, and the entire state, has become a hotbed for coronavirus conspiracy theories—a microcosm of America. The nation leads the world in coronavirus infections <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/countries-where-coronavirus-has-spread/" target="_blank">by a lot</a>. We likely lead the world in conspiracy theories about the virus as well. These phenomenons are not separate. </p><p>While it's easy to roll your eyes at anti-mask crusades, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/healthprotective-behaviour-social-media-usage-and-conspiracy-belief-during-the-covid19-public-health-emergency/A0DC2C5E27936FF4D5246BD3AE8C9163" target="_blank">new research</a>, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, investigates the real-world effects of coronavirus conspiracy theories. </p><p>Corresponding author, <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/dr-daniel-allington" target="_blank">Daniel Allington</a> of King's College London, analyzed data from three surveys regarding varying aspects of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs. His team looked at responses from 5,453 UK residents. They were especially interested in how social media disseminates health misinformation. The findings will not surprise anyone with a social media account:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"All three studies found a negative relationship between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and COVID-19 health-protective behaviours, and a positive relationship between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and use of social media as a source of information about COVID-19."</p><p>Allington identifies YouTube and Facebook as the primary drivers of misinformation. The unregulated nature of social media is cause for concern. In fact, the team discovered that people that consume regulated media, such as broadcast or print, are more likely to engage in protective health measures, such as wearing a mask and social distancing. The opposite is true for people that receive most of their health guidance from social media. </p>
Coronavirus: Conspiracy Theories: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a5188224279cc959c6a112713437d500"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0b_eHBZLM6U?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Allington's team used data collected from partnerships with CitizenMe (Study 1) and Ipsos-MORI (Studies 2 and 3). In the first study, respondents had to identify the truth behind three conspiracy beliefs:</p><ul><li>The virus that causes COVID-19 was probably created in a laboratory</li><li>The symptoms of COVID-19 seem to be connected to 5G mobile network radiation</li><li>The COVID-19 pandemic was planned by certain pharmaceutical corporations and government agencies</li></ul><p>Among their findings, younger people tend to buy into one or more conspiracy belief, while older respondents are more likely to engage in protective behaviors. Women listen to public health guidance more than men, though there is no gender distinction in those that believe in conspiracy theories. </p><p>Study 2 also asked about the possibility of the novel coronavirus being created in a laboratory, while Study 3 looked more deeply into the respondents' usage of social media. In each case, the results were clear: people that rely on social media for news are more likely to peddle in conspiracy theories. </p><p>YouTube appears to be the most problematic source of misinformation. Slickly produced shows, such as London Real, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2y5v6vJCso" target="_blank">feature</a> prominent anti-vaxxers like Del Bigtree. The anti-vaxx propaganda film, "<a href="https://bigthink.com/coronavirus/the-plandemic" target="_self">Plandemic</a>," was viewed over eight million times on YouTube before it was removed; the producer, Mikki Willis, is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mikki.willis/posts/2875973472513592" target="_blank">using this spotlight</a> to raise funds for Part 2. These are only two examples in a deluge of anti-vaxx videos driving a dangerous narrative. </p><p>The danger is especially prevalent as a coronavirus vaccine becomes a possibility. Oxford University researchers have <a href="https://apnews.com/fdd8be1fafa10b71d4de0dabbcd74bdf?fbclid=IwAR1djL-pXBBxsImTlYIwnlYvJG2lHvtMVAZCfojI1MS_iVZFwNj-IAnypnI" target="_blank">just discovered</a> a strong candidate. Still, a June poll found that <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/just-50-americans-plan-get-covid-19-vaccine-here-s-how-win-over-rest" target="_blank">only 50 percent of Americans</a> plan on getting a coronavirus vaccine. If anti-vaxx organizations continue to influence the public, less than half of this country could receive a vaccination. </p><p>In America, conspiracy beliefs are not only spread on social media. A <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/fox-news-pushed-coronavirus-misinformation-253-times-just-five-days" target="_blank">recent study</a> found Fox News pushing coronavirus misinformation 253 times over a five-day period. The going narrative is that vaccination is a question of "individual liberty," and if you're vaccinated you shouldn't worry about the unvaccinated. As with other misinformation, this is false, exposing the real danger of coronavirus misinformation. </p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ4MzQ4MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNjg5NDM3M30.6Ms3HnVzIdIQxMnzqxyOTSR48kB8vPBr7j3hUCbkmD8/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C74%2C0%2C31&height=700" id="8aa4d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="87e6df1f60803b106ff4a118961b25a3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="women holding American flag" />
People participate in a Reopen New Jersey protest on May 25, 2020 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey.
Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
<p>In her book, "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1555977200?tag=bigthink00-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank">On Immunity</a>," writer Eula Biss asks readers to imagine vaccination "as a kind of banking of immunity." When getting vaccinated, you contribute to a collective bank, ensuring those who cannot or will not get vaccinated are protected. Herd immunity only occurs when a population reaches a certain threshold; that threshold is well over 50 percent.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The unvaccinated person is protected by the bodies around her, bodies through which disease is not circulating," writes Biss. "But a vaccinated person is surrounded by bodies that host disease is left vulnerable to vaccine failure or fading immunity. We are protected not so much by our own skin, but by what is beyond it. The boundaries between our bodies begin to dissolve here." </p><p>The prevalence of immunosuppressed individuals unable to get vaccinated is left out of this conversation. This is a growing concern in countries like America, where obesity has led to increasing numbers of immunosuppressed citizens. </p><p>While the myth that children are protected against the ravages of the coronavirus persists, the <a href="https://apple.news/AiPKQDP1BTEuNtlRaVJ-6bg" target="_blank">long-term complications</a> of this multi-system disease are still becoming known, making anti-vaxx parents accountable for potential harm that may come. </p><p>Every citizen should be wary of a rushed vaccine. Researchers are attempting to create a vaccine faster than ever. There are inherent dangers in such a pursuit. But costs associated with rejecting any vaccine on the grounds of perceived "sovereignty" is even more dangerous. The price we'll pay for this misinformation is higher than any society can bear. </p><p>--</p><p><em>Stay in touch with Derek on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/derekberes" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DerekBeresdotcom" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://derekberes.substack.com/" target="_blank">Substack</a>. His next book is</em> "<em>Hero's Dose: The Case For Psychedelics in Ritual and Therapy."</em></p>
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Why do people believe in conspiracy theories?
Are we genetically inclined for superstition or just fearful of the truth?
10 July, 2020
- From secret societies to faked moon landings, one thing that humanity seems to have an endless supply of is conspiracy theories. In this compilation, physicist Michio Kaku, science communicator Bill Nye, psychologist Sarah Rose Cavanagh, skeptic Michael Shermer, and actor and playwright John Cameron Mitchell consider the nature of truth and why some groups believe the things they do.
- "I think there's a gene for superstition, a gene for hearsay, a gene for magic, a gene for magical thinking," argues Kaku. The theoretical physicist says that science goes against "natural thinking," and that the superstition gene persists because, one out of ten times, it actually worked and saved us.
- Other theories shared include the idea of cognitive dissonance, the dangerous power of fear to inhibit critical thinking, and Hollywood's romanticization of conspiracies. Because conspiracy theories are so diverse and multifaceted, combating them has not been an easy task for science.
Why is everyone so selfish? Science explains
The coronavirus pandemic has brought out the perception of selfishness among many.
05 July, 2020
Credit: Adobe Stock, Olivier Le Moal.
- Selfish behavior has been analyzed by philosophers and psychologists for centuries.
- New research shows people may be wired for altruistic behavior and get more benefits from it.
- Times of crisis tend to increase self-centered acts.
<p>Why do so many people seem so selfish these days, putting their needs first? The coronavirus has not only decimated our population and placed lives on anxious hold, it has also been a test of character. A test that, by and large, we appear to be failing. People are at each other's throats over wearing masks, the true facts of the pandemic, blatant racism, and old monuments, all the while appearing to be driven by pure selfishness to others – a feeling coming from all sides of the political spectrum. Where does this selfish behavior come from, exacerbated by a series of crises?</p><p>For starters, it is to some extent, natural to be self-oriented. After all, what else do we know? We are at the center of our own worlds, always looking to bolster the ego. Self-interest is the most fundamental human motivation, <a href="https://www.iep.utm.edu/hobmoral/" target="_blank">argued</a> English philosopher <strong>Thomas Hobbes</strong> all the way back in the 1600s. But acting out of self-interest is not necessarily the only thing on our minds. As research <a href="https://www.livescience.com/53533-women-prefer-altruism-over-looks.html" target="_blank">has shown</a>, human behavior can be motivated as much by altruism and moral considerations. So at what point does healthy self-care and the right amount of self-love become selfishness, a trait we judge negatively? </p>
<p><span style="background-color: initial;">Psychologists, like <strong>F. Diane Barth</strong>, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-couch/201602/what-s-the-best-way-deal-rude-and-selfish-people" target="_blank">define selfishness</a> as having two primary pillars: "</span><span style="background-color: initial;">Being concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself" and "Having no regard for the needs or feelings of others." Of course, most of us probably live somewhere on a sliding scale of selfless to selfish moments. Still, in the public consciousness being selfish is erroneously associated with becoming more successful, even though the facts don't necessarily bear that out.</span></p><p>A 2020 <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-47966-001" target="_blank">study</a> published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology looked to figure out if people who prioritize self-oriented behavior did better in life. The team led by <strong>Kimmo Eriksson</strong> of Stockholm University compared such factors as the yearly income and number of biological children. They analyzed a large sample of responses by 5,294 Americans to the public opinion General Social Survey (GSS) between 2002 and 2014, as well as European responses to the European Social Survey (ESS). The scientists identified the more selfish people by their answers to various survey questions. Overall, while the researchers found that in public perception, 68 percent of the people believed selfishness was a common trait of those who made more money, in reality, people with selfless attitudes and behavior had higher incomes and also more children. "Generosity pays," as states the title of their <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-47966-001" target="_blank">study</a>.<br><br>Here Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, speaks about the virtues of selfishness:</p>
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<p><span style="background-color: initial;">What's more, altruistic behavior may be the default option in our brains, suggests <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26942832/" target="_blank">research</a> carried out in 2016/2017 by a team led by </span><span style="background-color: initial;"><strong>Leonardo Christov-Moore</strong> from UCLA. They found an area of the prefrontal cortex that can be specifically affected to make people less giving.</span></p><p>So if selflessness is rooted in the brain, why do some people have such a hard time caring about the needs of others? The answer might lie in emotional intelligence, as pointed out psychologist Lisa Marie Bobby in an <a href="https://www.oprahmag.com/life/relationships-love/a29416336/dealing-selfish-people/" target="_blank">interview</a>. "Emotional intelligence exists on a spectrum, and some individuals are higher in emotional intelligence than others," she shared. "One symptom of low emotional intelligence is the tendency to be self-absorbed, or exclusively concerned about what <em>you're</em> thinking, feeling, needing and wanting, instead of the thoughts, feelings, needs and desires of others."</p>
Evolution is moving us away from selfishness. But where is it taking us?
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-media_id="cyeqmYCb" data-player_id="FvQKszTI" data-rm-shortcode-id="6c5efecb56456e9acc25cf36935b1826"> <div id="botr_cyeqmYCb_FvQKszTI_div" class="jwplayer-media" data-jwplayer-video-src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/cyeqmYCb-FvQKszTI.js"> <img src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/thumbs/cyeqmYCb-1920.jpg" class="jwplayer-media-preview" /> </div> <script src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/cyeqmYCb-FvQKszTI.js"></script> </div><p><span style="background-color: initial;">Another unfortunate factor – </span><span style="background-color: initial;">many find it hard to detect selfishness in themselves. As a 2020 study from</span> Yale psychologists and economists at the University of Zurich found out, selfish people make adaptions to their memories to avoid feeling bad about their egotistical behavior. The research, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-15602-4" target="_blank">published on April 29 in the journal Nature Communications</a><span style="background-color: initial;">, revealed that people tend to remember themselves being better to others than they actually were.</span></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"When people behave in ways that fall short of their personal standards, one way they maintain their moral self-image is by misremembering their ethical lapses," <a href="https://news.yale.edu/2020/04/29/memory-misfires-help-selfish-maintain-their-self-image" target="_blank">explained</a> <strong>Molly Crockett</strong>, assistant professor of psychology at Yale University, and the study's senior author.</p><p>Fast-forward a few years from now, and certainly more than a few people will be remembering their actions of today with a very different slant from what actually happened. As it is, getting a better grasp on behavior that doesn't take others into consideration is everyone's personal responsibility. Where does one right end (let's say, the liberty not to wear masks) and the right of everyone else to good health begin? At what point does your right not to get infected outweigh the right of another to pursue economic prosperity? How much does my right to survive depend on the good will and cooperation from others? Answering these truthfully, without feeling attacked, can stem the tide of real and perceived selfishness that goes against our better natures and costs us lives and societal degradation. </p>
Philosopher Peter Singer discusses the state of global ethics
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-media_id="02eX1Cag" data-player_id="FvQKszTI" data-rm-shortcode-id="45cc6180db791f32683988fb52faff26"> <div id="botr_02eX1Cag_FvQKszTI_div" class="jwplayer-media" data-jwplayer-video-src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/02eX1Cag-FvQKszTI.js"> <img src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/thumbs/02eX1Cag-1920.jpg" class="jwplayer-media-preview" /> </div> <script src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/02eX1Cag-FvQKszTI.js"></script> </div> <p>.</p>
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