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.
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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.
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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