How much do you know Yourself?

We perform many kinds of actions every day. Consciously or subconsciously we do or like to do a lot of things. Most of the time we don't know why we do these things! Socrates discussed the doctrine of 'know thyself' quite openly.

He has spent his whole life knowing this. Although Socrates' "know thyself" approach was enough to know oneself, we really know very little about ourselves. Although quite exciting, it is true that we know more about ourselves than we do about others. Although we can catch any signs or symptoms of good, bad, praise, condemnation of others, we do not know much about ourselves.

Scientists in psychology have long been trying to figure out how we perceive the world and who controls our behavior. At this stage of science, they have been quite successful and have been able to uncover a lot of the psychological work of human beings.

In today's discussion, we will discuss several human behaviors or a few common human instincts. Which is what we usually do. It can be conscious or subconscious!

We all have some evil powers

Surprising to hear, but it is true. Yes, we all have a strange ability to do evil, and we like to do evil whenever we get the chance. You may have got a detailed idea about this from the life around you long ago. Our experiences in this way of life are very bitter and unbelievable! So let's find out the gist of a study on this topic.

It was the most famous experiment in the history of psychology. 1971. Stanford Prison was commissioned to conduct a psychology study on how social conditions can affect human behavior. Led by psychologist Philip Zimbardo. The researchers were one in the basement of the Stanford Cy Building. There was a fake cell made. That is, it looked like a prison, but it was not a prison. Twenty-four postgraduate volunteers were selected to serve as prisoners and guards in the fake prison. They had no previous criminal record and were mentally healthy.

Researchers used hidden cameras to monitor prisoners (who spent 24 hours in jail) and guards (who shared eight hours of time). The experiment, which was supposed to last for two weeks, was postponed for seven days. It would be wrong to say that it is actually done. Authorities were forced to suspend. "The guards were very strict and often they used to torture the prisoners. Zimbardo said,

The guards escalate their aggression against the detainees, stripping them naked, placing bags over their heads, and eventually turning them into victims of sexual harassment. I had to finish it six days later because it was out of control - I couldn't sleep at night because the guards didn't know how to hold the prisoners.

Only a few innocent people had to receive cruel punishment for the crime of captivity. On the other hand, despite knowing their innocence, the guards have persecuted them for emotional or responsible reasons. This is actually one of the most common human instincts. We do not hesitate to take advantage of opportunities. And this is the strange ability of man to be ordinary evil or to perish. Maybe that's why the poet says, "I'll be ruined, I shall!"

We do not observe the surrounding environment!

We don't notice our surroundings

One of our common instincts is that we do not observe the environment around us well. Do you know what is happening around you? You don't even know how much less research you have about your surroundings!

In 1998, researchers at Harvard and Kent State University conducted a psychology experiment on pedestrians on a college campus. The purpose of the experiment was to see how many of them looked at the surrounding environment.

In the experiment, researchers used an actor in their research work. During the experiment, the actor went to the pedestrian and was looking for a way out. Just as the pedestrians were pointing the way, two men walked away with a large wooden door between the actor and the pedestrian, causing the actor and pedestrian to see each other for a few seconds.

And during this time the previous actor was removed and another actor with the same height and health similarity was made to stand. Surprisingly, more than half of the participants did not notice this change!

This experiment explains the phenomenon of "Change blindness", which shows how we take from any given scene. And this fact confirms that we rely more on patterns than on memory and thought. Due to which more than half of the pedestrians could not find any difference between the actors.

Those who can wait patiently for something good are more successful later!

It's a lot like the "fruit of patience" type. That means the longer you wait, the more successful you will be compared to others. The matter can also be explained in terms of greed. If you can suppress your greed, rest assured that the future awaits you with special rewards.

An experiment at Stanford University in the late 1960s tested psychology to counteract the temptation of instant gratification. The test selected children who had not yet been admitted to a school. That experiment tested children's ability to tempt. And they have good results in terms of self-control and self-discipline.

All The Fuss Around Success

Four-year-olds in the experiment were placed with a lot of mushrooms on a plate in front of them and told that they could now eat these mushrooms or wait until the researchers returned 15 minutes later. There was also a reward system if he could wait. Because the researchers will come back and give them two more mushrooms.

Delaying gratification is hard

Most children said they would wait, according to a Time report. They almost all try to suppress their greed. But in the end, many ate mushrooms before the research team could return. The children who were able to suppress their greed for 15 minutes adopted some strategies. For example, closing your eyes, or sitting upside down.

The long-term results of the experiment were quite surprising. The following characteristics were later found in the children who were waiting:

Their behavioral problems, drug addiction, and obesity were significantly lower than others.

And they were more successful in later life than others who could not wait until the end.

That is, if you wait or be patient, your life will bear fruit!

We abuse power whenever we get it!

If we have power, it is a mental disorder for us to abuse that power. In general, we like or do love to abuse power at some point in life. There is also a psychological explanation behind it. Three students were sent to write a review of a journal published in a 2003 study.

Two students were instructed to write papers. The other was asked to evaluate the paper and determine how much each student would be paid.

In the middle of their work, the researcher left 5 cookies on a plate. Usually, the last cookie is never eaten (because there were four of them together). Yet the leader among them almost always eats the fourth cookie and the last cookie is also in his destiny.

The thing is, mentally, everyone agrees that the one who gives the lead will get the most. Again the leader also kept this idea in their mind. This bizarre idea exists in almost every aspect of society.

The famous psychologist Dacher Keltner said,

Many researchers like to use a lot of manpower in different scientific studies and influence them in different ways. Their movements, dress code, manner of speaking and even eating habits. Sometimes they are even sexually harassed.

There is not much need for research on this subject, we always see examples of abuse of power around us. From a prime minister to a peon are involved in this despicable act. It is a kind of mental disorder in human beings.

The following Ted-talk can be watched:

Some References

Images used in this article are on Unsplash