To predict what will make you happy, ask a stranger rather than guessing yourself
I don't find this surprising. I think Hume is right on this: we gain far more data from experiencing others than we do from experiencing ourselves. We quickly learn from experiencing our own minds, that it moves between tenuous ideas quickly and haphazardly. Our minds also tend to have too much distracting noise. Thus, it is no surprise that others can predict our emotional responses better than we ourselves can. They can more readily observe the phenomenal cues.
On the other hand, I'm curious how the researchers were able to avoid the phenomena of being primed for a particular response. Hearing that a particular response is appropriate to a situation ought to prepare us to experience that situation in that way.
I don't find this surprising. I think Hume is right on this: we gain far more data from experiencing others than we do from experiencing ourselves. We quickly learn from experiencing our own minds, that it moves between tenuous ideas quickly and haphazardly. Our minds also tend to have too much distracting noise. Thus, it is no surprise that others can predict our emotional responses better than we ourselves can. They can more readily observe the phenomenal cues.
Time and again, psychological studies have found that we overestimate how happy we will be after winning a prize, starting a new relationship or taking revenge against those who have wronged us. We also overrate our disappointment at bad test results, disability or failure to progress at work. Try as we might, we consistently fail to forecast our own emotional reactions, and we even fail to accurately remember our past experiences to be used as guides.
On the other hand, I'm curious how the researchers were able to avoid the phenomena of being primed for a particular response. Hearing that a particular response is appropriate to a situation ought to prepare us to experience that situation in that way.
No comments:
Post a Comment