Go Ahead, Rationalize. Monkeys do it, too


	Go Ahead, Rationalize. Monkeys do it, too

LisbethJ

11-6-2007 2:15 PM

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monkeys, rationalize

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<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://www.clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/ff4df8d0-6f43-4bcb-9173-ab5f75c41696/BC41F062-208E-43E2-9437-9583D2CB2F1D/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/science/06tier.html?ref=science" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/science/06tier.html?ref=science" style="font-size: 11px;">www.nytimes.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/science/06tier.html?ref=science"><NYT_HEADLINE _moz-userdefined="" type=" " version="1.0">
Go Ahead, Rationalize. Monkeys Do It, Too.
</NYT_HEADLINE></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/science/06tier.html?ref=science"><div align="center"><img src="http://content8.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/www.nytimes.com/img/518A0B85-DF98-4FB9-A8B2-EFE8AC484B52" alt="" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/science/06tier.html?ref=science"><P>For half a century, social <A title="Recent and archival health news about psychologists." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/psychology_and_psychologists/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier">psychologists</A> have been trying to figure out the human gift for rationalizing irrational behavior. Why did we evolve with brains that salute our shrewdness for buying the neon yellow car with bad <A title="In-depth reference and news articles about Gas - flatulence." href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/symptoms/gas-flatulence/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier">gas</A> mileage? The brain keeps sending one message —<SPAN class="italic"> Yesss! Genius!</SPAN> — while </P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/science/06tier.html?ref=science"><P>This self-delusion, the result of what’s called cognitive dissonance, has been demonstrated over and over by researchers who have come up with increasingly elaborate explanations for it. Psychologists have suggested we hone our skills of rationalization  in order to impress others, reaffirm our “moral integrity” and protect our “self-concept” and feeling of “global self-worth.”</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/science/06tier.html?ref=science"><P>Once a decision has been made, second-guessing may just interfere with more important business. A fox who pines for abandoned grapes or a monkey who keeps agonizing over food choices could be <A title="In-depth reference and news articles about Muscle atrophy." href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/symptoms/muscle-atrophy/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier">wasting</A> energy better expended obtaining the next meal. </P></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/BC41F062-208E-43E2-9437-9583D2CB2F1D/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content9.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

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