STREET DOGS

You have to recognise that your own thoughts are not your own thoughts. They kind of filtered and percolated in from other people. It might seem like common sense, but it’s just what everybody is saying now. Robert Shiller

Most of the time, we see only what we want to see, or what others tell us to see, instead of seeing what is really there. Suzy Kassem

First, we seem to assume that if a lot of people are doing the same thing, they must know something we don’t .... In general, when we are unsure of ourselves, when the situation is unclear or ambiguous, when uncertainty reigns, we are most likely to look to and accept the actions of others as correct. Robert B Cialdini

The power of psychological influences must never be underestimated. Greed, fear, suspension of disbelief, conformation, envy, ego and capitulation are all part of human nature, and their ability to compel action is profound, especially when they are at extremes and shared by the herd. Howard Marks

Let’s face it. We have been programmed since our earliest years to become followers, not individuals. We have been conditioned to embrace teams, the herd, and popular opinion and to reject what is different, eccentric or stands alone. We are so programmed that all it takes to condition our minds is to hear something more than three or four times before we repeat it and follow it as truth. Anon

Humans are prone to herd because it is warmer and safer in the middle of the herd. Indeed, our brains are wired to make us social animals. We feel the pain of social exclusion in the same parts of the brain where we feel real physical pain. So being contrarian is like having your arm broken on a regular basis not fun!

James Montier