The Psychology of Collapse

A fascinating study of how “we’re wired to ignore the apocalypse.” Includes a look at the difficulty in countering ‘reactance’ (perceived threats to personal freedom), especially in highly individualised cultures; cultures which also make it difficult to care long-term when your brain literally sees your future self as a different person. We also learn that it’s not just Trump who has a principle of ‘never admitting you’re wrong’ — many of us do, thanks to ‘information disconfirmation’ and ‘selective perception’. We also tend to “express hostility or even aggression toward anyone who challenges the dominant structures,” shooting messengers thanks to ‘spontaneous trait transference’, where our brains conflate the threat with the person warning us about it. We’re also happy with lies provided we benefit from them, and think “it’s not cool to overreact”.