Many events occur in our life that is often difficult to understand. How do visionaries predict the future so accurately and why are broken windows so disturbing?
Scientists have already created theories that explain what these things that happen around us mean. It turns out that people act according to a script and our behavior is quite predictable.
We read a lot of psychology books and today we are going to share some secret knowledge with you: everything that happens to you is not random. The strange actions of people can also be explained with the help of science.
The Theory Of Broken Windows
The theory of criminology of broken windows was implemented by 2 American sociologists: L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson. These scientists were trying to discover the reason for the increase in crime rates in New York City in the 1980s.
They came to the following conclusion: minor crimes, such as scattered garbage or graffiti, actively affected the level of crime in general.
Here’s a real-life example:
If there was at least one broken or missing window in a building, people passing by assumed that no one was taking care of the building and there were no people responsible for cleaning up the mess.
After a while, all the windows will be broken, while the people who live in this area will have more confidence in their ability to get away with it. Furthermore, they will soon conclude that they will not be punished for more serious crimes.
The fan of this theory, Rudy Giuliani, mayor of New York (1994), managed to reduce the crime rate in the city to double what it was.
The Theory Of Learned Helplessness
Learned impotence is a behavioral disorder in which a person does not try to do anything to improve their life, although they have the opportunity to do something about it. Why is it called “learned”?
Because nobody is born with the idea that overcoming obstacles is useless. This thought arises after going through a lot of stress or several failures.
People give up and come to believe that nothing depends on them, especially after taking countless blows from their own lives.
Here’s a real-life example:
A person hasn’t passed the tests required for college twice, works hard for very little money, and can’t break up with a harmful partner. The solution seems simple enough: prepare for the exam, find another job, get a divorce, and your problems will disappear.
But someone who feels helpless does not see an easy way out and will continue to tolerate the pain.
What to do?
- Forget about perfection – there are very few things you can do 100% perfect in life.
- Lower your expectations, including negative ones. We tend to be afraid of problems, even if they haven’t happened yet.
- Learn to stay optimistic. There is a term called learned optimism and you can learn it with the help of various exercises. Here is a test that will help you define your level of optimism.
The Theory Of A Reality Tunnel
According to this theory, a person sees the world through the filters of their own experiences and beliefs. Creation, education, and all the joys and failures that have already happened to us are the material of our tunnel of reality. This is why people tend to have different reactions to the same things.
Here is a real-life example:
Looking at the Mona Lisa, the famous painting by Leonardo Da Vinci, one person will see a mysterious smile, another will find mathematical perfection in it, while the third will see a fat woman with no browless.
None of these people are wrong because they all live in their own tunnels of reality and firmly believe that they are right.
All this happens because, according to the reality tunnel theory, there is no common truth. It is impossible for it to exist because it is very difficult to escape your own safe and comfortable familiar tunnel.
Hedgehogs’ Dilemma
People tend to be close to each other and most of us need family and friends. However, intimate relationships are sometimes followed by pain.
The imperfections of our loved ones sometimes cause us to become estranged and move away. However, after a while, we make the same mistakes in seeking proximity and suffering it afterward.
A German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer called this the hedgehog dilemma or the porcupine problem.
The key to happy relationships is love and friendship, as well as the ability to provide the other person with enough warmth while maintaining personal space.
Don’t tolerate pity pricks and don’t run away from close relationships at the same time. Keep a reasonable distance where you maintain your own harmony.
Foot In The Door
At first, one person does you a small favor and then you get stuck because your demands and requests get bolder and bolder, while you can’t say “No.” The “foot in the door” trick is widely used by marketers who want to sell their products.
Here’s a real-life example:
Service providers say: “Get a trial version of our program” or “Subscribe to our services, the first month of subscription is free.” The consumer has yet to pay a penny but has already fallen into the trap because it is easier to sell the extended subscription to anyone who has tried the free version.
If a salesperson promises you a big discount or a “Buy 3 for the price of 2” offer, it means they have read one of those psychological books and are trying to get a foot in your door.
They are well aware that you will come back and spend a great deal on their store.
Which of these psychological laws occurred in your life? Let us know in the comments!
