Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
> I remember reading something about this. If you're in a tribe of 100 people, 
> most everyone is somewhat dependent on everyone else, so the likelihood that 
> someone would lie to you about something important is low. Except for things 
> like competition, mates, etc, for which we seem to have little trouble 
> catching liars.

> If there's something unobvious going on, it's a survival benefit to know 
> about it, and hearing it from someone whose welfare is interrelated to yours 
> is a pretty reliable indicator compared to finding out on your own with 
> possible disastrous consequences.

> Of course, this is yet another Just So explanation.

  Yeah, it sounds like another evolution psychology story.

  Not that it isn't true or based on facts. It's just hard to know what
is really caused by genetic inheritance, and what is caused by something
else.

  One could go the other way around and say that believing conspiracy
theories is the opposite of herd behavior. But this doesn't mean it's a
good thing. Herd behavior, although it's almost always used with a negative
connotation, is not necessarily a bad thing. Individuals survive better
when they are part of a larger group and act the same as the others, thus
contributing to the whole, thus helping everyone survive. If someone goes
against the herd, he will be singled out, and possibly thrown out of the
herd because he doesn't want to be like the others, to his detriment or
even demise.

  Basically, behaving differently from others may be *against* survival
instinct, and can be personally destructive.

  But why do humans have such a strong instinct of being individuals,
being different, standing out? What can be gained from this behavior?
Is believing in conspiracy theories part of this phenomenon?

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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