4 ms·

I wish people do this more often. However it so happens that most of the time when someone says "I think..." and other similar statements, people perceive it as

I wish people do this more often. However it so happens that most of the time when someone says "I think..." and other similar statements, people perceive it as you being quite uncertain and less trustworthy just because you're being honest about how likely truthful a statement is. People have a bias for certainty and simplicity (and security), which sadly works against this, and those that are more "confident" and take advantage of this bias are seen more favorably. This is, disappointingly, why we have overconfident but undeserving people like Elizabeth Holmes succeeding (and many more that fly below the radar).

camjohnson26 3y ago
It’s also why cults are so seductive to so many, turning over control and decision making does wonders for peace of mind, until the false basis for that confidence gets exposed.
- BHSPitMonkey 3y ago
  And often even afterwards.
- jskherman 3y ago
  Sadly. Can such tendencies perhaps be remedied, or at least mitigated to some effective degree, over a large population by learning and practicing more critical thinking? I think it's simply a matter of habitualizing and getting better at critical thinking and establishing more helpful cultural norms. However both of which are, of course, difficult to do, just like anything that has anything to do with network effects.
a_bonobo 3y ago
This is also why women are generally underheard. Women are primed to not rock the boat and 'be nice', so in these kinds of discussions women are more likely to 'hide' 100% truthful statements behind these softening 'I think...' statements. And the bias you mention will therefore reject their opinions.
- rewmie 3y ago
  > Women are primed to (...) Your comment sounds awfully prejudiced. I've worked with women in leadership roles that were more assertive than all the men in the room, and I also worked with men who went out of their way to avoid any semblance of confrontation. That hardly justifies bigoted views towards men or women.
  - a_bonobo 3y ago
    ??? perhaps it's some kind of ESL issue, but here are some similar articles I'm talking about: https://medium.com/fearless-she-wrote/shut-that-b-up-why-speaking-up-for-ourselves-as-women-is-so-hard-6d0762d14581 https://medium.com/fearless-she-wrote/shut-that-b-up-why-spe... https://janicetomich.com/women-speaking-while-female/ https://janicetomich.com/women-speaking-while-female/ I don't see how my makes me prejudiced? Society wants women to be quiet and primes them (i.e., [1]), which is one of the main ways male power dominates. How does that make me bigoted? [1] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/08/silence-powerlessness-womens-voices-rebecca-solnit https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/08/silenc... Edit: I think I see the misunderstanding; I meant 'primed by society starting from birth', you seem to have read 'primed by nature'
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - TeMPOraL 3y ago
      > which is one of the main ways male power dominates That in itself is not a true belief, but a complex piece of bigoted propaganda. I think GP understood you well, they're just questioning the assumptions underlying what you said.
    - rewmie 3y ago
      > perhaps it's some kind of ESL issue, but here are some similar articles I'm talking about: I'm not sure you noticed, but your so called sources are nothing more than baseless opinion pieces of people that you cherry-picked only because they convey the same prejudice and bias that you do. Pointing out other people that share your opinion is hardly a substantial argument.

camjohnson26 3y ago

It’s also why cults are so seductive to so many, turning over control and decision making does wonders for peace of mind, until the false basis for that confidence gets exposed.

BHSPitMonkey 3y ago
And often even afterwards.
jskherman 3y ago
Sadly. Can such tendencies perhaps be remedied, or at least mitigated to some effective degree, over a large population by learning and practicing more critical thinking? I think it's simply a matter of habitualizing and getting better at critical thinking and establishing more helpful cultural norms. However both of which are, of course, difficult to do, just like anything that has anything to do with network effects.

a_bonobo 3y ago

This is also why women are generally underheard. Women are primed to not rock the boat and 'be nice', so in these kinds of discussions women are more likely to 'hide' 100% truthful statements behind these softening 'I think...' statements. And the bias you mention will therefore reject their opinions.

rewmie 3y ago
> Women are primed to (...) Your comment sounds awfully prejudiced. I've worked with women in leadership roles that were more assertive than all the men in the room, and I also worked with men who went out of their way to avoid any semblance of confrontation. That hardly justifies bigoted views towards men or women.
- a_bonobo 3y ago
  ??? perhaps it's some kind of ESL issue, but here are some similar articles I'm talking about: https://medium.com/fearless-she-wrote/shut-that-b-up-why-speaking-up-for-ourselves-as-women-is-so-hard-6d0762d14581 https://medium.com/fearless-she-wrote/shut-that-b-up-why-spe... https://janicetomich.com/women-speaking-while-female/ https://janicetomich.com/women-speaking-while-female/ I don't see how my makes me prejudiced? Society wants women to be quiet and primes them (i.e., [1]), which is one of the main ways male power dominates. How does that make me bigoted? [1] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/08/silence-powerlessness-womens-voices-rebecca-solnit https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/08/silenc... Edit: I think I see the misunderstanding; I meant 'primed by society starting from birth', you seem to have read 'primed by nature'
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - TeMPOraL 3y ago
    > which is one of the main ways male power dominates That in itself is not a true belief, but a complex piece of bigoted propaganda. I think GP understood you well, they're just questioning the assumptions underlying what you said.
  - rewmie 3y ago
    > perhaps it's some kind of ESL issue, but here are some similar articles I'm talking about: I'm not sure you noticed, but your so called sources are nothing more than baseless opinion pieces of people that you cherry-picked only because they convey the same prejudice and bias that you do. Pointing out other people that share your opinion is hardly a substantial argument.