I have been writing about this numerous times. And finally there is a scientific basis for Hugh MacLeod’s motto and his book title – Ignore Everybody. The experiment by Prof. Gregory Berns of Emory University involved financial decisions, I am certain this applies to any kind of advice. It appears that listening to an expert has an effect of turning off precisely the areas of brain responsible for making the right choices. I am sure this broadly is the mechanics of a guidance or indoctrination. Alon Nir writes on Dan Ariely’s blog Predictably Irrational – The value of advice:
“Berns recorded his subjects’ brain activity with an fMRI machine while they made simulated financial decisions. Each round subjects had to choose between receiving a risk-free payment and trying their chances at a lottery. In some rounds they were presented with an advice from an “expert economist” as to which alternative they consider to be better.
The results are surprising. Expert advice attenuated activity in areas of the brain that correlate with valuation and probability weighting. Simply put, the advice made the brain switch off (at least to a great extent) processes required for financial decision-making. This response, supported by subjects’ actual decisions in the task, are troublesome, perhaps even frightening. The expert advice given in the experiment was suboptimal – meaning the subjects could have done better had they weighted their options themselves.”
A momentous moment!
Further Reading:
Advice from Hugh MacLeod – Ignore everybody
Your Brain on God
The Man With Half A Brain and no Emotions is Always Happy
