Chapter 3

The Social Animal

Unraveling why humans crave belonging above almost everything else and how group dynamics can override individual judgment.

3 topics

Topics in this chapter

3.1

The Pressure to Conform

Understanding Asch's landmark conformity experiments and why we abandon our own correct judgments to match the group.

8 min read
3.2

Groupthink: The Danger of Consensus

How the desire for harmony in a group overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives often with catastrophic results.

10 min read
3.3

The Bystander Effect

Why the presence of others can paradoxically make each of us less likely to step forward and help.

8 min read