Humans need to have a reasonably accurate view of the world in order to survive. However, truth and accuracy are not the only things that matter to the human mind. Humans also seem to have a deep desire to belong. It has been written that “Humans are herd animals. We want to fit in, to bond with others, and to earn the respect and approval of our peers. Such inclinations are essential to our survival. For most of our evolutionary history, our ancestors lived in tribes. Becoming separated from the tribe—or worse, being cast out—was a death sentence.”
Understanding the truth of a situation is important, but so is remaining part of a tribe. While these two desires often work well together, they occasionally come into conflict. In many circumstances, social connection is actually more helpful to your daily life than understanding the truth of a particular fact or idea. The Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker put it this way, “People are embraced or condemned according to their beliefs, so one function of the mind may be to hold beliefs that bring the belief-holder the greatest number of allies, protectors, or disciples, rather than beliefs that are most likely to be true.”
We don’t always believe things because they are correct. Sometimes we believe things because they make us look good to the people we care about. False beliefs can be useful in a social sense even if they are not useful in a factual sense. For lack of a better phrase, we might call this approach “factually false, but socially accurate.” When we have to choose between the two, people often select friends and family over facts.
Comprehension
1) Why is it important for humans to have a reasonably accurate view of the world?
2) How do the desires for truth and accuracy compare to the desire to belong in the human mind?
3) How does the Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker explain the relationship between beliefs and social connections?
Vocabulary
Match the words to the definition:
1) herd
2) fit in
3) inclinations
4) cast out
5) embraced
6) condemned
a) a tendency to act or think in a particular way
b) reject from a group or community
c) a group of animals that live together
d) to accept, literally to hug
e) to be part of a particular group
f) express strong disapproval
Grammar Highlights
Be sure not to put your adverb and time expression in the wrong place:
“In many circumstances, social connection is actually more helpful to your daily life than…”
*This article was adapted from another article to make it more suitable for English learners. You can read the original article here.