← all facts
behavior
You are a stranger to your own reasons.
A 1977 study showed that people often invent plausible, but false, explanations for why they chose one object over another.
When people are asked to explain a choice, they search for a logical reason even when the choice was effectively random. They treat this manufactured explanation as the actual reason for their behavior.
You are very good at justifying choices you did not actually make.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Nisbett & Wilson, 1977, Psychological Review
- What the check found
- The study 'Telling more than we can know' is a foundational piece in psychology. The reference material provided did not contain the text, but the citation and claim are well-verified historically.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.