“...The
Dunning-Kruger Effect: Some believe that many of those who support Donald Trump do
so because of ignorance — basically they are under-informed or misinformed about
the issues at hand. When Trump tells them that crime is skyrocketing in the
United States, or that the economy is the worst it’s ever been, they simply
take his word for it.
“The
seemingly obvious solution would be to try to reach those people through
political ads, expert opinions, and logical arguments that educate with facts.
Except none of those things seem to be swaying any Trump supporters from his
side, despite great efforts to deliver this information to them directly.
“The Dunning-Kruger effect explains that the problem isn’t just that they are misinformed; it’s that they are completely unaware that they are misinformed. This creates a double burden.
“Studies
have shown that people who lack expertise in some area of knowledge often have
a cognitive bias that prevents them from realizing that they lack expertise. As
psychologist David Dunning puts it in an op-ed
for Politico, ‘The knowledge and intelligence that are required to be good at a
task are often the same qualities needed to recognize that one is not good at
that task — and if one lacks such knowledge and intelligence, one remains
ignorant that one is not good at the task. This includes political judgment.’
Essentially, they’re not smart enough to realize they’re dumb.
“And
if one is under the illusion that they have sufficient or even superior
knowledge, then they have no reason to defer to anyone else’s judgment. This
helps explain why even nonpartisan experts — like military generals and
Independent former Mayor of New York/billionaire CEO Michael Bloomberg — as
well as some respected Republican politicians, don’t seem to be able to say
anything that can change the minds of loyal Trump followers.
“Out
of immense frustration, some of us may feel the urge to shake a Trump supporter
and say, ‘Hey! Don’t you realize that he’s an idiot?!’ No. They don’t. That may
be hard to fathom, but that’s the nature of the Dunning-Kruger effect — one’s
ignorance is completely invisible to them.
“Hypersensitivity
to Threat:
Science has unequivocally shown that the conservative brain has an exaggerated
fear response when faced with stimuli that may be perceived as threatening. A
classic study in the
journal Science found that conservatives have a stronger physiological reaction
to startling noises and graphic images compared to liberals. A brain-imaging
study published in Current Biology revealed that those who lean right
politically tend to have a larger amygdala — a structure that is electrically
active during states of fear and anxiety. And a 2014
fMRI study found that it is possible to predict whether someone is a
liberal or conservative simply by looking at their brain activity while they
view threatening or disgusting images, such as mutilated bodies. Specifically,
the brains of self-identified conservatives generated more activity overall in
response to the disturbing images.
“So
how does this help explain the unbridled loyalty of Trump supporters? These
brain responses are automatic, and not influenced by logic or reason. As long
as Trump continues his fear mongering by constantly portraying Muslims and
Mexican immigrants as imminent dangers, many conservative brains will
involuntarily light up like light bulbs being controlled by a switch. Fear
keeps his followers energized and focused on safety. And when you think you’ve
found your protector, you become less concerned with remarks that would
normally be seen as highly offensive.
“Terror
Management Theory:
A well-supported theory from social psychology, called Terror Management
Theory, explains why Trump’s fear mongering is doubly effective. The theory is
based on the fact that humans have a unique awareness of their own mortality.
The inevitably of one’s death creates existential terror and anxiety that is
always residing below the surface. In order to manage this terror, humans adopt
cultural worldviews — like religions, political ideologies, and national
identities — that act as a buffer by instilling life with meaning and value.
“Terror
Management Theory predicts that when people are reminded of their own
mortality, which happens with fear mongering, they will more strongly defend
those who share their worldviews and national or ethnic identity, and act out
more aggressively towards those who do not. Hundreds of studies have confirmed
this hypothesis, and some have specifically shown that triggering thoughts of
death tends to shift people towards the right.
“Not
only do death reminders increase
nationalism, they influence actual voting habits in
favor of more conservative presidential candidates. And more disturbingly, in a
study with American students, scientists found that making mortality salient
increased support
for extreme military interventions by American forces that could kill
thousands of civilians overseas. Interestingly, the effect was present only in
conservatives, which can likely be attributed to their heightened fear
response.
“By
constantly emphasizing existential threat, Trump creates a psychological
condition that makes the brain respond positively rather than negatively to
bigoted statements and divisive rhetoric. Liberals and Independents who have
been puzzled over why Trump hasn’t lost supporters after such highly offensive
comments need look no further than Terror Management Theory.
“High Attentional
Engagement:
According to a recent
study that monitored brain activity while participants watched 40 minutes
of political ads and debate clips from the presidential candidates, Donald
Trump is unique in his ability to keep the brain engaged. While Hillary Clinton
could only hold attention for so long, Trump kept both attention and emotional
arousal high throughout the viewing session. This pattern of activity was seen
even when Trump made remarks that individuals didn’t necessarily agree with.
His showmanship and simple messages clearly resonate at a visceral level.
“Essentially,
the loyalty of Trump supporters may in part be explained by America’s addiction
with entertainment and reality TV. To some, it doesn’t matter what Trump
actually says because he’s so amusing to watch. With Donald, you are always
left wondering what outrageous thing he is going to say or do next. He keeps us
on the edge of our seat, and for that reason, some Trump supporters will
forgive anything he says. They are happy as long as they are kept entertained.
“Of
course these explanations do not apply to all Trump supporters. In fact, some
are likely intelligent people who know better, but are supporting Trump to be
rebellious or to introduce chaos into the system. They may have such distaste
for the establishment and Hillary Clinton that their vote for Trump is a
symbolic middle finger directed at Washington.
“So
what can we potentially do to change the minds of Trump loyalists before voting
day in November? As a cognitive neuroscientist, it grieves me to say that there
may be nothing we can do. The overwhelming majority of these people may be
beyond reach, at least in the short term. The best we can do is to motivate
everyone else to get out to the booths and check the box that doesn’t belong to
a narcissistic nationalist who has the potential to damage the nation beyond
repair.”
Bobby
Azarian is a neuroscientist affiliated with George Mason University and a
science writer. His research has been published in journals such as Cognition
& Emotion and Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, and he has written for The
New York Times, Scientific American, Psychology Today, Slate, The Daily
Beast, and The Huffington Post. He also runs the website Science Is Sexy.
Follow him @BobbyAzarian.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.