Reliably Austin
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Each week on Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, explore different aspects of human behavior and the brain.

Why Do We Make Assumptions About People?

www.united-academics.org

Did you ever have a relationship that makes you cringe thinking back on it? What did I ever even see in that person? you ask yourself. Good news though: You don't have to wallow in self-pity for long, because it turns out that we can overlook almost anything if we want to.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about why we wear "rose colored glasses," or are sometimes repulsed by certain people seemingly without reason.

It turns out that we make assumptions about people very quickly based on a lot of our past relationships. We may meet someone who reminds us of someone else, and we attribute all kinds of characteristics to them without really getting to know them.

It seems simple, but we are prone to want "real" reasons for why we like and don't like people. Sometimes we make up elaborate reasons for our preferences that make less sense than our senses.

This also works for groups of people. We make all kinds of assumptions, based on probabilities that have to do with our past experiences – good or bad.

So while it's fine to like who and what we like without having to explain it too deeply, it is cool to think about what assumptions we're making and why. 

Rebecca McInroy is an award-winning show creator, host, and executive producer for KUT, KUTX, and KUT.ORG.
Related Content