1323: Todd Rose | The Collective Illusions Tearing America Apart

90% of Americans privately agree on most issues, yet publicly act like enemies. Author Todd Rose unmasks the collective illusions fueling our division.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1323

What We Discuss with Todd Rose:

Collective illusions are social lies we all participate in because we mistakenly believe everyone else believes them. On most controversial U.S. issues, around 90% of people privately agree, yet publicly act like they're at war — we're not divided, we're confused and copying each other.
Our brains use a flimsy shortcut to gauge group beliefs: the loudest voices repeated the most are assumed to be the majority. On X, 80% of content comes from just 10% of users — fringe extremists who are not remotely representative — yet their volume warps our sense of what "everyone" thinks.
Foreign adversaries (China, Iran, Russia) have weaponized this vulnerability with AI-enabled bot armies. Roughly a quarter of social media interactions are with bots, and just 5% well-designed bot presence can dictate group consensus — manufacturing illusions to destroy social trust cheaply and effectively.
Conformity is biologically hardwired: agreeing with your group triggers a dopamine reward like hard drugs, while disagreeing fires an error signal that disrupts memory and attention. In one study, people unconsciously shifted their ratings of attractiveness to match a fake group — some literally seeing differently.
The good news: these illusions are fragile because they're lies, and shattering them happens at the speed of trust. Have one honest conversation with someone who matters to you, or simply inject uncertainty ("I'm not sure yet") into group conversations. That small act of moral courage cascades faster than you'd ever believe.
And much more...

And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps!

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!
Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!
Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:

SimpliSafe: 50% off + 1st month free: simplisafe.com/jordan
Progressive Insurance: Free online quote: progressive.com
Quince: Free shipping & 365-day returns: quince.com/jordan
AT&T: Get an iPhone 17 Pro for $0: att.com/iphone or visit an AT&T store for details

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(1328)

344: Jonna Mendez | The Moscow Rules

Jonna Mendez is a former chief of disguise in the CIA's Office of Technical Service, and co-author of The Moscow Rules: The Secret CIA Tactics That Helped America Win the Cold War. What We Discuss wit...

28 Apr 20201h 22min

343: Is My Little Brother a Lost Cause? | Feedback Friday

You have a family history of addiction, and now your clinically depressed little brother is using drugs and alcohol to a degree that goes well beyond rebellious teenage mischief. With parental guidanc...

24 Apr 202051min

342: David Epstein | Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

David Epstein (@DavidEpstein) has worked as an investigative reporter for ProPublica and a senior writer for Sports Illustrated. He is the author of the number-one New York Times bestseller Range: Why...

23 Apr 20201h 10min

341: Julie Gerberding | Answering Your COVID-19 Questions

Julie Gerberding is the former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). What We Discuss ...

21 Apr 20201h 19min

340: What Jobs Will Exist in the New Economy? | Feedback Friday

With big changes afoot thanks to technological advances and the need to adapt in a COVID-19 world, what skills should you consider picking up, and what jobs will exist in the new economy that you can ...

17 Apr 202034min

339: Michele Rigby Assad | My Secret Life in the CIA

Michele Rigby Assad (@michelerigassad) is an international security consultant, trainer, and author of Breaking Cover: My Secret Life in the CIA and What It Taught Me about What’s Worth Fighting For. ...

16 Apr 20201h 7min

338: Ozan Varol | How to Think Like a Rocket Scientist

Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned award-winning law professor and bestselling author -- which makes him perfectly poised to share the wisdom found in his latest book, Think Like a Rocket Scienti...

14 Apr 202043min

337: COVID Clearly Crushing Careers | Feedback Friday

While we're trying to avoid talking directly about the current pandemic, there's no doubt COVID-19 is clearly crushing careers. Gretchen Rubin helps us ensure we can still be productive during this ti...

10 Apr 202054min