It’s obvious! Psychology teaches human behavior, emotions, and cognition. But not all aspects of psychology are uplifting.
Some other aspects of psychology reveal the darker side of humans.
source: pexels
Where we see, how manipulation, bias, and unconscious instincts shape our actions and affect true reality. Here are 20 dark psychology facts that will make you rethink reality.
1. People Are More Likely To Lie Than You Think
Many people operate with the assumption that some people are honest & never lie.
But on the other hand, research & observation suggest that lies vary on different degrees, & it’s a frequent occurrence.
Lies range from “white lies” intended to avoid hurt feelings or social awkwardness to deceitful manipulation used to gain power, to avoid consequences, & control situations.
Therefore, lies are lies, so never blind yourself with the pattern that the person who seems honest and innocent can’t lie.
2. Your Memory Is Unreliable
We tend to believe that our memories are like a video recording, same & accurate, but in reality, it’s highly malleable.
Source: pexels
When we recall any event, our brain remembers memories & brings together the fragments of information, and this reconstruction process leads to inaccuracies (mind drifting plays its vital role in this context).
Generally, the reason for distortion, fabrication & replacement of memories is based on emotions, bias, & other external factors.
This means when we remember something, we’re essentially recreating that, and each recreation can differ slightly from the original.
Still confused!! Let’s understand with a practical experiment, close your eyes and try to visualize a mountain, then try to hold for more than 10 seconds, there’s a high possibility you may see different objects together.
And this happens all the time with us, whether we are conscious or unconscious about it.
3. Fear Is a Powerful Manipulation Tool
Fear is a very primal emotion that triggers fight-or-flight responses. And when we are afraid, our rational thinking overrides our compulsive reactions.
Manipulators find Fear as one of the most effective tools to manipulate others. This can be used in many ways, such as creating a sense of urgency, control, isolation, and many more.
Source: Pexels
People like politicians, media, and marketers often use this to influence decisions, shape perceptions, and to push agendas.
4. People Are Naturally Selfish
The fact that “people are naturally selfish” is complex and could be debated. But it’s very interesting because it motivates people to love themselves.
However, humans are naturally hardwired to prioritize their survival and self-interest.
Even acts of kindness often have subconscious self-serving motives, such as seeking social approval and feeling good about oneself.
Source: pexels
5. The Halo Effect Can Blind You
The halo effect is a cognitive bias in which our overall impression of a person, company, or brand is influenced by how we feel, think, and assume about their character and properties.
For example, if somebody has a positive impression in any area, we tend to think positively about the person even at unrelated areas.
And on the other hand, if somebody has a negative impression in one area, we assume other negative qualities in different situations. (The Horn effect)
For example, if somebody is perceived as attractive or successful. You’re more likely to believe that the person has other positive traits such as kindness, intelligence, etc.
The cognitive bias makes people influenced by appearance rather than reality.
6. Gaslighting Can Make You Doubt Yourself
Gashlighting is a popular term. Its primary goal is to doubt the victim on their perceptions & reality.
This aim victim to question their memory, sanity, and judgments.
Source: pexels
And a gashlighter consistently distorts facts, events, and conversations.
They might say “it never happened” or “you are overreacting” etc. And this is generally found in abusive relations & Power dynamics.
7. Social Proof Dictates Behaviour
Social proof is a strong phenomenon that significantly influences our decisions and actions.
Social proof is an informational social influence, where people tend to follow the crowd and assume that the action of others is appropriate for that situation, even when it goes against logic and morals.
This is why trends, propaganda, and social events easily take momentum.
Essentially, when people see a lot of people are doing the same, they are likely to think that it is the right thing to do.
And occasionally, big companies, marketers, politicians, and influencers use such to promote or spread rumors about something.
8. Dopamine Addiction Fuels Unhealthy Habits
Source: pexels
Dopamine plays a significant role in the development and maintenance of addictive behaviours.
It is a pleasure chemical that is responsible for the brain’s reward system, it is released when we experience activities like eating, gambling, social scrolling, sex, or engaging in enjoyable hobbies.
This enforcement of dopamine makes us more likely to repeat the same activity.
And this is the reason why people chase short-term pleasure rather than long-term fulfillment.
Here are some examples that might give you a better understanding about.
- Social media addiction: The constant stream of notifications, likes, releases dopamine, leads to continuous scrolling.
- Drug addiction: The substances like cocaine and methamphetamine cause a massive release of dopamine, leading to instant craving and compulsive use.
- Gambling addiction: The flow of winning triggers a dopamine release, reinforces a behaviour.
9. People Love To See Others Fail
Does it? people love to see others fail. yes ! it’s true and documented psychological phenomenon. The German word ‘Schadenfreude’ describes the feeling of pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.
Source: Canva
People love to see others fail, especially when they envy them.
It is generally triggered by the feeling of envy, resentment, or injustice when somebody is perceived as arrogant and undeserving of something.
And sometimes this happened due to social comparison.
As we humans are social creatures, so we have a natural tendency to compare ourselves to others.
Seeing someone failing temporarily raises our self-esteem by making us feel superior & fortunate.
But another fact about this fact is that it’s not universal, it’s true that this is natural, but it’s important to be mindful of ethical implications.
10. Power Corrupts Even The Best Of People
Psychological studies show that the gain of power makes people ruthless, less empathic and more prone to unethical behavior.
It’s because power creates a sense of entitlement that the individuals with powers are above the rules and norms that apply to others.
This fact clearly suggests that even an individual with good intentions and strong moral principles can become rude and arrogant due to the corrupting influence of power.
11. Your Brain Can Be Easily Reprogrammed
Through repetition, conditioning, external influence, your beliefs, preferences & even your moral compass can be altered.
Source: Pexels
This is why propaganda, cults, social conditioning are so effective.
The brain is highly “adaptable” but reprogramming requires time, effort, and consistency.
In all contexts, it’s also important to remember this, where reprogramming positively is possible, the same negative programming is also possible. Be aware of your thoughts!!!
12. People Conform To Authority Even Against Their Morals
The power of authority influences people, even the actions that contradict their morals.
Stanley Milgram experiment was one of the most horrifying psychological experiments to test the people’s willingness to obey authorities even if they asked to harm people. This explains how ordinary people can commit atrocities under orders.
13. Jealousy Can Turn People Into Enemies
Jealousy is a negative feeling that triggers when somebody has something that the person desires, from a romantic partner to any material thing.
Others’ success can resent someone, the person could be a close friend or any relative, they might feel this, even if it doesn’t affect them directly.
May ever, you have heard that you should not reveal your income, age, relation, and other personal things. Because it may trigger jealousy in your closest one too.
14. Your Mind Creates False Patterns
Before understanding false patterns, we should have a brief introduction to mental patterns.
Mental patterns refer to the habitual way we think, feel, react, and understand the world through which we act.
It’s natural tendency that every human seeks patterns even when none exist. In other words, we can say our mind is wired for pattern recognition. This is an evolutionary trait that helps us make instant decisions and predictions.
This is why people easily believe in conspiracy theories, superstition, and illusions.
Here are a few examples that will give you a better understanding about it:
- Believing that the certain situation or object will bring good or bad things. The example best suits over religious activities or ritualistic rules.
- It’s often that you may experience this, if you’re finding an answer to something in a random conversation, you clicked your answer. (sounds familiar, right?)
- Assuming good or bad results based on the past experiences. For example, if you’ve ever eaten bad food, then there are chances you might feel bad about the same food you will be served for the next time.
15. Persuasion Can Be Used To Control Your Choices
Persuasion is a great technique that influences others’ attitude, beliefs, intentions, or actions.
The major tool for this technique is good communication that helps to manipulate someone’s mind and behaviour with the magic of words.
Source: Canva
The influence can be done in various ways such as giving logic & reason, playing with emotions, establishing credibility and trust, employing social techniques, and applying psychological pressure.
Persuasion can be used with both negative and positive purposes (it depends on the intention of the opponent).
And often, politicians, sales persons, marketers, and influencers use psychological tricks such as scarcity, reciprocity, and social proof to manipulate your decisions and choices even without realizing you.
16. Cognitive Dissonance Justifies Bad Behaviour
Cognitive dissonance is a mental state where a person experiences two contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values that create discomfort. It also contradicts when actions contradict beliefs.
We humans occasionally change our thoughts and beliefs instead of changing our behavior (that might feel difficult). And this is where justification starts to play its role.
People give rational explanations for their actions, even when those actions are blemish.
For example, someone says: we know stealing is wrong, but I really want this but the store charges anyway high.
Criminal: I became Criminal because society hurts me, I had no choice, so I took this path.
This is why people commit themselves to act unethically and often convince themselves they were justified.
17. Most People Are Hypocrites
Studies show that people hold high standards, but consistently living up to those standards is found to be challenging for themselves.
In other terms, people often judge others harshly than themselves for the same actions.
There are many factors why people behave in this manner:
Social Pressure
we often try to project our image as clean and good, this creates a discrepancy between social life and private life.
Cognitive Dissonance
As we have discussed earlier, humans always try to justify inconsistencies. We might rationalize our image even when it contradicts our beliefs and values.
Humans Fallibility
Humans make mistakes. It’s natural tendency that humans make mistakes and fail to live up to their expectations. And this inheritance contributes to an instance of hypocrisy.
Therefore, humans are undeniable with the fact that hypocrisy is a common human experience.
18. Negative News Spreads Faster Than Positive News
source: Canva
We humans pay more attention to that which is more strongly affected by negative information. Our brain is wired to focus on negativity because it’s a Mandate for our survival.
This is why media, and news channels prioritize negative stories, fueling fear, and anxiety in society.
Therefore, we need to be aware of such tendencies to critically evaluate the information we encounter.
19. People Are Willing To Manipulate, Are More Likely To Succeed.
Research shows that people with Machiavellian traits – cunning, deceitful, and strategic, Manipulation, can climb the social and corporate ladder more effectively than those who are honest.
Such traits help somebody to be successful even in the highly competitive or political environment.
But in the overall context, it’s important to remember that Machiavelli is part of a dark triad that might be helpful in the short term but can cause big issues in the long run.
20. Love Can Be A Psychological Trap
Source: Canva
Romantic relations release chemicals like oxytocin, Adrenaline, and dopamine that create addiction-like codependency, substance abuse, and obsessive thoughts.
Especially, in toxic relationships, it is difficult to leave the person even when the person is not beneficial for their well-being.
Finally, that doesn’t mean love itself is negative, but you must be aware of it and never allow yourself to stay in an unhealthy relationship.
Conclusion
In essence, these dark psychological facts reveal the unsettling truths about human nature, behaviour, and society. While they seem alarming, understanding these psychological facts helps to become more aware, make better decisions, and avoid harmful manipulations.
The awareness is the first step towards protecting ourselves from the hidden forces that influence and affect our thoughts and actions.
