Conformity

Humans are social creatures with a fundamental need for acceptance (with the possible exception of engineers). This need is so powerful that people may deny reality just to fit in. This might seem unbelievable, but in 1951, Solomon Asch conducted experiments demonstrating this very phenomenon.

Asch’s experiments involved groups of participants (e.g., ten people) shown two images like the one below:

Asch experiment images

Participants were asked, one at a time, which of the three lines (A, B, C) on the right matched the length of the line on the left. The task is straightforward, and individuals would normally choose the correct answer (C in this example).

However, the experiment was rigged. Nine of the participants were actually actors, instructed to give the wrong answer. The real test subject was positioned later in the line, so they would hear several incorrect answers before giving their own. It was like a classroom scenario where the teacher shows everyone the images and asks each student for their answer, without providing feedback.

For the first few rounds (with different images each round), everyone, including the test subject, answered correctly. This was done to establish trust and a sense of alignment within the group. But on the third round, the actors began giving incorrect answers (e.g., B). The test subject, despite knowing the correct answer, often conformed to the group’s incorrect answer, choosing B instead of C.

To illustrate: Imagine the test subject is in position eight. Asch presents a new image and asks, “Which line matches?” Actors 1 through 7 all answer “B.” Hearing seven people give the same wrong answer, the test subject, wanting to fit in, is likely to also answer “B,” denying their own perception.

But conformity isn’t the whole story. In another variation of the experiment, actors told a genuinely unfunny joke.
The group laughed, and so did the test subject. When interviewed privately and told the truth (that the others were actors and the joke wasn’t actually funny), the test subjects often insisted they did find the joke funny. This demonstrates “Cognitive Dissonance,” where individuals rationalize their actions through denial and fabricated justifications. They don’t just conform; they convince themselves they were right to conform.

And there’s more: the Nocebo effect.

Similar to the Placebo effect (where a fake treatment can produce real effects), the Nocebo effect involves negative expectations. Imagine ten subjects (nine actors, one participant) are told they’re testing a new “relaxation drug” (just water) that might cause side effects like whistling sounds or dizziness. After a few minutes, the actors begin reporting these side effects, and, predictably, the real participant also starts experiencing them! Even when later told the truth, they often maintain that they genuinely felt those side effects, again denying reality.

So, do you conform? Are your beliefs truly your own, or are they influenced by social media, news, and other external pressures? Have you ever laughed at something unfunny just because others were laughing? Have you ever looked in a certain direction simply because everyone else was looking that way? If so, welcome… you’re part of the group.