Research by the American Psychological Association suggests that 40% of people choose ignorance when given an option.
The study mentions that humans consciously choose to remain ignorant and act selfishly when confronted with how their actions impact others.
Willful Ignorance
The phenomenon known as willful ignorance is where an individual deliberately chooses to remain ignorant to avoid rationalization. Participants of the study were given two options.
Choosing $5 suggests another peer will also get $5. But if the participant decides $6, the other person will only get $1.
The Conclusion
The research study concluded that around 40% of the participants chose not to learn the outcome of their actions.
“The findings are fascinating as they suggest a lot of the altruistic behaviors we observe are driven by a desire to behave as others expect us to,” co-author of the study, Shaul Shalvi, said.
The research was published in the journal Psychological Bulletin
