《大西洋月刊》
· 2024年，亞瑟·C·布魯克斯寫道：「意識到強烈的情緒傳染會如何削弱你的推理能力，使你更容易受到操縱，這一點至關重要。我——以及你——避免落入破壞性群體思維陷阱的最佳防禦方法就是理解它。」https://theatln.tc/yxKEJYUt
幾十年來，社會科學家一直在研究群體的“思維”，研究普遍認為群體思維是積極智慧的來源。最近的研究也將個體（每個人都擁有部分且不完整的資訊）相互學習並解決問題的過程稱為「群體智慧」。正如布魯克斯所寫，這些群體“由各自獨立思考的個體組成；他們沒有統一感，而這恰恰是他們擁有集體智慧的原因。”
布魯克斯繼續說道，人們會因為身處情緒激動的人身邊而「感染」到這種情緒：這「解釋了人們在參與集體讚美活動時通常會感受到的那種如痴如醉、忘我釋放的感覺。」但群體情緒的傳染並非總是積極的——負面情緒同樣具有傳染性。 「在當今世界，人們——包括我自己——有時會讓自己被仇恨和憤怒的集體情緒所裹挾，」布魯克斯寫道。部分原因是現代科技使得網路暴民更容易滋生，“網路人群和現實人群一樣缺乏思考。”
屈服於群體思維並放任自流可能會讓人感到輕鬆——至少在短期內。但布魯克斯繼續說道，在加入任何群體之前，無論是集會還是抗議活動，重要的是要確保「你能夠清醒地參與其中」。問問自己諸如“這種具有傳染性的情緒是愛還是恨？你是否想‘感染’這種情緒？”之類的問題，或許能“促使你重新思考你想以何種方式參與政治和公共生活。”
閱讀更多：https://theatln.tc/yxKEJYUt
The Atlantic
It’s important to be aware of how intense emotional contagion can reduce your faculty for reasoning and expose you to manipulation, Arthur C. Brooks wrote in 2024: “My best defense—and yours—against falling prey to destructive groupthink is to understand it.” https://theatln.tc/yxKEJYUt
For decades, social scientists have studied “the mind” of crowds, and research generally describes group thinking as a source of positive wisdom. Recent work also identifies the process by which individuals, each with their own partial and imperfect information, can learn from one another and solve problems as “the wisdom of crowds.” As Brooks writes, these groups are “composed of separate individuals all thinking independently; they feel no sense of oneness, which is precisely why they are collectively wise.”
People can “catch” feelings by being in proximity to others who are experiencing intense emotions, Brooks continues: This “explains the sensation of being rapturously transported that people typically report when they participate in a mass exercise of praise and feel their inhibitions falling away.” But the emotional contagion of crowds isn’t always positive—negative emotions can be similarly contagious. “In our world today, people—myself included—have at times allowed ourselves to get swept up in collective emotions of hatred and anger,” Brooks writes. In part, modern technology has made it easier to drum up cyber mobs, and “online crowds can be as unthinking as in-person ones.”
Giving into groupthink and letting go can feel like a relief—at least in the short term. But before joining a group, whether at a rally or in a protest, it’s important to make sure “you will be participating with your eyes open,” Brooks continues. Asking yourself questions such as “Is the contagious emotion involved love or hate? Is that emotion one you want to ‘catch’?” might “prompt a reconsideration of how you want to participate in politics and public life.”
Read more: https://theatln.tc/yxKEJYUt
《紐約時報》特約評論員亞瑟‧布魯克斯 (Arthur C. Brooks) 的文章涵蓋經濟學、社會科學和幸福感等領域。
「我們大多數人都可以學習如何參與對話——即使是棘手或艱難的對話——從而使交流充滿樂趣和趣味。幸運的是，已有大量研究可以告訴我們如何做到這一點。」亞瑟·C·布魯克斯在二月寫道。
Arthur C. Brooks, a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, covers economics, social science and happiness.。
“Most of us could learn a thing or two about how to participate in a conversation—even a delicate or difficult one—so that the exchange inspires joy and interest. Luckily, plenty of research exists that can show how to do just that,” Arthur C. Brooks wrote in February.
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