It happens that our loved ones behave completely differently than they are asked about it … but in the exact opposite way. Moreover, we ourselves sometimes do in defiance of others what is completely unprofitable for us.
It happens that our loved ones behave completely differently than they are asked about it … but in the exact opposite way. Moreover, we ourselves sometimes do in defiance of others what is completely unprofitable for us. Experiments by psychologist Tanya L. Chartrand and her colleagues at Duke University (USA) have shown that in doing so, we act unconsciously, seeking to avoid other people’s influence and perceiving the request as a threat to our independence. On the instructions of psychologists, students performed tests on a computer, and from time to time the names of people close to them appeared on their monitors. The name of the person who in ordinary life was demanding of the subject prevented him from doing the task, but the name of the one who did not force him to strain helped. Thus, most of the students acted contrary to what their loved one called for.