False Consensus Effect

By Yiler Huang

The False Consensus Effect describes the situation in which a person believes in something and thinks most people share the same opinion, but in reality, other people don't think the same thing and they are just convinced by themselves that their belief is the popular belief. A while ago I had a conversation with my friends about wether or not you should mix the rice with curry when you are eating. I believe that you shouldn't and I thought most people think like how I do, but it turned out most of my friends preferred mixing.

Another example is from my father. He said that western restaurants are bad because they don't have the rotating table in Chinese restaurants, and he though every Asian person thought the same. However, not a lot of people think in the way he does. This effect can be used to influence people's opinions. If someone is convinced that their belief is the “normally accepted” belief, they are more likely to hold onto it. It is also dangerous to fall into this kind of effect, as you would be biased to view things from a different perspective. To avoid it, we need to remind ourselves that things are sometimes not the same as how we thought, and accept the fact that we might be the weirdo.