Buzz
Despite what the media may suggest, we are actually living in the most peaceful period in human history. While it’s true the world may seem more chaotic than it was just five years ago, overall, things are far better than they were fifty years ago. Our increased connectivity gives us an unparalleled view into global suffering, but it also helps us realize how much progress we've made.
However, saying we’re ‘more peaceful than ever’ doesn’t mean much, given that human history has been filled with violence. Although we are undoubtedly more peaceful and civilized than we used to be, there’s still much work to be done. Many regions of the world continue to endure extreme poverty and chaos, with millions living through their own personal apocalyptic experiences every day. After millennia of human existence, you'd think we'd have solved the worst aspects of our civilization—yet, clearly, we haven’t.
It turns out, there are sound, scientific reasons behind why our society—and even our minds—are wired in ways that make it incredibly challenging to address and resolve the larger systemic issues.
10. We’re Surprisingly Vulnerable to Deception
A logical fallacy is something that can be surprisingly hard to detect, yet impossible to overlook once you know what you're searching for. From advertising to politics, we’re constantly exposed to flawed arguments that crumble with even the slightest inspection. For instance, politicians often attack the messenger—whistleblowers or those highlighting issues—rather than addressing the issues themselves (this is called ad hominem in logic circles). The troubling part? We fall for it, as it’s not always obvious at first glance.
It’s not because we’re all simply clueless, it’s because our brains find it incredibly difficult to spot logical fallacies, especially when they’re hidden under what seem like reasonable arguments. Another reason they work so well is that they appeal to the part of our brain that is already inclined to be convinced. For example, someone who already believes whistleblowers are harmful to society—no matter how strongly they hold that belief—is more likely to discredit the information being presented and attack the whistleblower’s character rather than engage with the argument itself.
9. We Struggle With Probability
Imagine an asteroid is heading toward Earth, and the probability of it colliding with us is one in a million. That’s enough to make most people panic, even though the odds aren’t that high. Interestingly, if you change the odds to one in ten thousand, the level of panic would likely remain the same. This happens despite the fact that asteroids are always hurtling toward Earth with some probability, no matter how small the odds.
The reason this occurs is that humans are intuitively bad at understanding probability. For instance, if a coin lands on tails five times in a row, most people would assume that the next flip is more likely to land on heads, even though the probability remains 50/50 for each flip, regardless of past outcomes.
This lack of intuitive understanding of probability leads to larger societal issues. For instance, it’s how politicians often elevate trivial concerns over real, widespread problems and manage to win support. As long as an issue seems threatening enough, it resonates with most people, even if the likelihood of it actually happening is statistically low.
8. We Instinctively Align Ourselves with Groups
Conflict has been a part of human history for as long as we can remember, and much of it occurs between groups. Whether the divisions are based on religion, nationality, factions, or even family clans, humans tend to gather into groups, find common ground, and then clash with others doing the same. Aligning with a group has also been a powerful survival tactic, as only the strongest groups in history have managed to survive.
On the flip side, this same instinct is what fuels problems like racism and religious wars. Even if your group is peaceful and admirable, sooner or later, someone will claim it’s the best and begin seeking to destroy others in its name.
Why does this happen over and over? It works so well because we are evolutionarily wired to do it. Studies—including those on babies—have shown that humans are born with an inherent preference for people who resemble us, which makes sense because we are social, group-oriented beings. Research also indicates that we are naturally drawn to people who share similarities with us, which helps keep our bloodlines close within our groups. This doesn’t mean nature is inherently racist, but it does explain how societal evils like racism stem from the very same evolutionary instincts that once provided us with a survival advantage in hostile environments.
7. We Need Chaos and Destruction to Move Forward
'Why can’t we just focus on building things rather than fighting each other?' is a thought many people who don’t benefit from conflict would agree with. It seems logical, as we have the resources and tools to innovate and advance without needing to fight for them. Sure, there was a time when war and invasion were necessary to acquire rare resources and make technological progress, but in today's world of global free trade, that’s no longer a problem. So, why do we still fight?
The answer is straightforward: we actually need war and conflict to drive technological innovation. A vast majority of the everyday technologies we rely on today originated during times of war. It’s not just technology; our modern concepts of liberty, human rights, democracy, and countless other ideas we now take for granted were directly shaped by war. Many of the most prosperous and technologically advanced empires in history were also the ones that had cutting-edge technology on the battlefield or at least a new way of applying existing technology, which eventually benefitted civilian life. For example, innovations in archery led to advancements in aerodynamics, and improvements in armor refined our metalworking skills.
This doesn’t mean humans are inherently bloodthirsty. Our violent past has simply made us better at developing new solutions when faced with conflict and existential threats. That’s not to say that peaceful periods in history haven’t seen their own technological advancements, but even those were often built on the foundations of massive wars.
6. Human Memory Is Terrifyingly Unreliable and Easily Manipulated
We’ve all heard the warnings about revisionism and repeating the mistakes of history, yet we continue to do so with little hesitation. Many countries today are fighting for reasons similar to those that sparked conflicts hundreds of years ago. It makes you wonder whether we’re simply bad at keeping records, or if we’re somehow doomed to repeat our mistakes by some higher power.
As it turns out, it’s neither. We are actually quite adept at learning from our mistakes, as evidenced by our ability to evolve. However, when it comes to public memory of past events, our recollections are surprisingly fragile and easy to manipulate. Numerous studies have shown that as long as an argument is convincing enough, it’s possible to implant entirely false memories without anyone questioning it. Memory doesn’t perfectly reflect reality; it’s a reconstructed version of events, created by our brains using guesses and projections.
5. Our History Is Inaccurate
People tend to think of history as a collection of indisputable facts—how could it not be? Keeping historical records has always been one of the most respected tasks in nearly every society, and historians have done a commendable job at it. That’s why we tend to trust them when they tell us that history isn’t a straightforward list of facts, but rather our best interpretation of what happened, based on the evidence available.
This issue is compounded by the fact that record-keeping throughout history has been limited to specific segments of society, meaning many groups and timelines are excluded from the mainstream narrative. Finding different perspectives and corroborating data from multiple sources is an essential part of a historian’s work, but that’s not always possible. A significant portion of our history—especially in the southern hemisphere—remains unreliable or completely absent, along with key advancements in fields like agriculture, politics, and technology.
4. Emotions Over Reason
Look around the world, and if you’re living in a peaceful country (or a relatively peaceful one), you might count yourself lucky. But even today, many nations are under authoritarian regimes that suppress freedoms and violate basic rights. The most unsettling part? These regimes often enjoy widespread support from their own citizens. Some of them are even democracies. Yes, just like throughout history, people are actively choosing leaders who are clearly detrimental to their well-being.
If you think it’s simply because certain populations are too uninformed to make the right choices, that idea is not only inappropriate, but also inaccurate. As the Second World War demonstrated, a country doesn’t need to be a war-torn zone to support dictatorships or dictatorial regimes.
The reason people continue to elect extremists and authoritarian leaders is because we’re not particularly skilled at listening to our rational minds. The emotional side of our brain often dominates the rational side, and this isn't just about electing dictators. It impacts the politics of even fully functional democracies. Our lack of rationality explains why policy-making is more focused on appealing to the emotions of voters (and donors, of course) rather than creating solutions that would genuinely help, even when these two goals are at odds.
3. Greater Power Equals Less Empathy
Even though many parts of the world seem to be doing well, there are still regions struggling with severe issues. Not to mention the looming global problems we all face, such as rising sea levels and pollution. Unsurprisingly, many of these challenges could be resolved overnight if the wealthiest and most powerful individuals across the globe decided to donate even a small fraction of their fortune.
If you think it’s because they lack empathy, you’d be partially right. However, it's not because only cold-hearted individuals achieve wealth and power; rather, it's because we all tend to lose empathy as we gain power. This isn’t just a theory; studies confirm that people become less socially aware and emotionally sensitive as they climb the social ladder or gain authority at work. It’s simply part of our evolutionary wiring, which ultimately reveals the greatest irony of our world: the more power you have to change society, the less likely you are to actually care about doing so.
2. We Don’t Trust Each Other
Even as recently as 2019, it’s disturbingly easy to turn people against a specific group for political reasons, and this isn’t restricted to just one country. Hate crimes and sectarian violence are on the rise once again around the world, even at a time when everyone is more connected than ever. While distrust between different races and groups may have been understandable in the 1800s, when people lacked the awareness to know better, it certainly doesn’t make sense now.
According to research, the reason we’re still unable to trust one another is simple: we’re biologically incapable of doing so. Numerous studies have shown that humans are not naturally wired to trust each other, likely because of the cutthroat history we’ve evolved from. There’s also a clear and growing trust deficit across the globe, particularly in countries like the United States. So, when the economic and social conditions in a vulnerable country worsen and extremist leaders begin to rise, it becomes all too easy to turn that inherent distrust into full-blown hatred.
1. We’re Naturally Wired To Conform
Real social change – the positive kind, that is – is almost always driven by civil disobedience and social unrest. Whether it was women fighting for the right to vote in the USA or the French Revolution sparking global ideals of liberty and personal freedom, we owe much to those who defied the societal norms of their time and fought for a better future. The issue? Many of these shifts were centuries in the making, only truly materializing in more recent history.
For the most part, people were generally content with the way things were, even when conditions worsened as you look further back in time. Science supports this too. We have an innate preference for conformity, choosing to maintain the status quo as long as possible rather than shaking things up. This tendency is rooted in our evolutionary history, as disrupting the societal structure was costly in our early days. Even the rebellions that succeeded (and most that failed) occurred only when conditions had become so dire that the people had no other choice but to rebel, driven by factors like economic stagnation and unbearable taxes following the aftermath of war.
