Effectiveness beats accuracy

False beliefs can be useful in a social sense even if they are not useful in a factual sense. For lack of a better phrase, we might call this approach “factually false, but socially accurate.” When we have to choose between the two, people often select friends and family over facts.

Some people emphasize the idea that "believing in true things is Good and believing false things is Bad." But I think the world is more complicated than that. You strive to believe in things that you hope are true or in things that are definitively not always true (e.g. good always triumphs over evil). But whether in politics, religion, investing, ... See more

We don't always believe things because they are correct. Sometimes we believe things because they make us look good to the people we care about.

Here are a few of the agendas we can accomplish with our beliefs:-Blending in. Often it's useful to avoid drawing attention to ourselves; as Voltaire said, "It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong." In which case, we'll want to adopt ordinary or common beliefs.-Sticking out. In other situations, it migh... See more

“Confirmation bias” names the idea that people are more likely to believe things that confirm what they already believe. But it does not explain the emotional relish we feel, the sheer delight when something in line with our deepest feelings about the state of the world, something so perfect, comes before us. Those feelings have a lot in common wit... See more