You're the Easiest Person to Fool
The science of self-deception
In 1974, during a commencement speech at Caltech, the physicist Richard Feynman said something about scientific integrity that would echo through generations: “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool.” The quote is popular because it doesn’t just apply to science; it applies to life. Every day, we show biases and errors in thinking that we don’t notice because our brains will make up stories to cover up the mistakes. What can we do to overcome—or at the very least recognize—some of our worst moments of self-deception? It’s time to practice being honest with ourselves.
Self-deception at its finest
In one of my favorite studies ever, researchers tested just how far self-deception can go. They showed men and women two separate photos of female faces and asked which of the two faces was most attractive. After people answered, they were given their chosen photo so that they could take a closer look and explain their reasoning. However, the researchers were also undercover magicians, and before they handed over the chosen photo, they secretly switched it with the non-chosen photo. Everyone was now staring at a photo they didn’t choose, and trying to explain why they chose it.
Instead of looking confused and saying that they were given the wrong photo, people invented reasons to explain why they chose the contradictory photo they were holding. They would say things like “because she was smiling” when the person in the new photo was clearly not smiling. Or they would say “I like earrings” when the woman in the originally chosen photo had no earrings. Their reasoning made no sense whatsoever, but they truly believed the stories they were telling.
This all happens because your brain is great at covering for itself. When the world behaves unexpectedly, your brain tries to make sense of it in a way that maximizes your sense of control and minimizes how strange you look. This sometimes means you blind yourself to your own choices and beliefs. Importantly, this doesn’t just apply to judging the attractiveness of photos—more recent experiments in 2020 have found that the same blindness can affect political opinions too.
If you don’t realize that you’re lying to yourself, is it even possible to reduce self-deception? The real world usually isn’t as mischievous as a scientist’s lab, and most situations offer an opportunity to notice your inconsistencies. So let’s look at some ways to correct course when necessary.
How to fool yourself a little less
Embrace cognitive dissonance: Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable feeling you get when you hold two inconsistent beliefs in your head. Don’t let that feeling scare you into ignoring a problem or devising a story to cover it up. Instead, use it as a special signal that says: “here’s an opportunity to solve a problem and improve my thinking”. When you discover a contradiction in your mind—whether it’s related to work, friends, or politics—see it as an exciting challenge that will help you find better answers.
Always doubt your knowledge: Several cognitive biases make us more likely to fool ourselves. For example, the less we know about a particular topic, the more we think we know about that topic (this is called the Dunning-Kruger effect). You may be familiar with this feeling. You come across a new study area or philosophy, and start to believe you’re an expert after Day 1. But the more you continue to study it, the more you realize the complexities of the issue and the limits of your knowledge. Instead of blindly falling into this trap of false confidence, assume that you’re relatively naive about everything, and walk into new conversations with an open mind.
Never be afraid of mistakes: Nobody is perfect and errors are part of being human. No matter how careful you are, things will sometimes go wrong. Fear of embarrassment makes you more likely to cover up mistakes and fail to learn from them. Embarrassment and shame are temporary discomforts that come and go but hidden mistakes can cause a lifetime of damage, so make yourself a promise to own up to future blunders and tackle insecurities head on.
It’s ok to be wrong
It’s possible that we learn to hide our mistakes from an early age. In the video below, a child is determined to believe that the onion in his hands really is a tasty apple. In an act of defiance against his naysaying mother, he keeps munching, even as the tears stream from his eyes. Adults typically focus on more complex issues, but at times, we’re just as stubborn as the boy when we’re proven wrong. The beautiful irony is that we can become less fallible by learning to accept our own fallibility. So allow yourself to throw away the onion.
That final quote
Final words today go to the great Bertrand Russell:
“No satisfaction based upon self-deception is solid, and, however unpleasant the truth may be, it is better to face it once for all, to get used to it, and to proceed to build your life in accordance with it.”
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Erman Misirlisoy, PhD
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