> Believing that the police (or your six-shooter) will protect you from harm, when they won't, doesn't even look good on a tombstone They won't save us, but st

> Believing that the police (or your six-shooter) will protect you from harm, when they won't, doesn't even look good on a tombstone They won't save us, but statistically, we won't need either to save us. Even defenseless animals often survive in herds or schools. We want to believe the police will save us to not lead a paranoid existence, just as the herd animal isn't betting on it being dinner. > IMO, the better question is: why is peace of mind more important to us than actually being right? Because doing things necessary for survival doesn't require a correct worldview. Witness how many people who hold archaic beliefs manage to survive, gain importance in society and reproduce. Edit - a good example is religious beliefs. They give some people a sense of purpose, a sense of kinship, and a belief that they'll personally succeed. Even if a religious person succeeds on their own devices, they'll attribute it to their deity as the psychological boosts from believing are more important than the validity of the beliefs themselves. This can even be seen in scientific studies on the brain while praying/meditating, and the practical benefits have been observed across religious lines.