Researchers from four research centers at once: Yale University, Oxford, University College London and the International School of Advanced Research (Italy) conducted a simple experiment proving that people readily correct their bad opinions about others.
Over the course of a series of experiments, more than 1,500 subjects observed the choice of two strangers faced with a moral dilemma: whether to inflict pain on someone with electric shock in exchange for money. While the "good" stranger indignantly refused, the "bad" stranger confidently chose money. There were several such "rounds".
The participants were then asked to share their impressions of the moral qualities of the strangers and asked how confident they were in their opinion. Everyone quickly formed a stable, positive impression of a good stranger and had no doubts about it. However, the subjects were hesitant to say that the “bad” stranger was so bad. People mentally gave him a chance to improve. And when a bad stranger in one of the "rounds" suddenly refused to hurt and take money, people said: "Well, we thought so!"
Scientists believe that in the process of evolution, our brains were formed in such a way as to support communication as much as possible. If we broke off relations after any unpleasant episode, we would be left alone and miss out on many of the benefits of social connections. On the other hand, this same mechanism provides an understanding of why sometimes people cling to openly destructive relationships. We always doubt: maybe give one more chance?
IRINA KAYNOVA
