Social belonging can outweigh the motivation for accuracy

Evidence

Some situations decrease ‘accuracy motivation’ in favour of other kinds of motivations. Yet, these other motivations do not always need to be political or deliberately malevolent or nefarious. Sometimes we willingly distort our perception of the evidence for social purposes because we have a deep need to belong and identify with like-minded others. This can often be a far more powerful and adaptive motivation to navigate the world. … Thus, we often need to balance social motivations – such as the need to fit in – against our desire for accuracy. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 122

Some situations decrease ‘accuracy motivation’ in favour of other kinds of motivations. Yet, these other motivations do not always need to be political or deliberately malevolent or nefarious. Sometimes we willingly distort our perception of the evidence for social purposes because we have a deep need to belong and identify with like-minded others. This can often be a far more powerful and adaptive motivation to navigate the world. In fact, one key insight from social psychology is that we derive part of our identities from the groups that we belong to. Thus, we often need to balance social motivations – such as the need to fit in – against our desire for accuracy. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 122

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the identity-derived-from-groups insight and the general social-psychology tradition the chapter is building toward with Asch. — connects to: Social validation through sharing now substitutes for evidence as credibility — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 15; Platform incentive structure suppresses accuracy motives and amplifies identity motives — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 467; Explicit social coercion embedded in messages overrides accuracy motivations. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 353
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 122

Broader Connections

• Explicit social coercion embedded in messages overrides accuracy motivations. #corroborates (0.85) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 353