What is the Cheerleader effect?
The cheerleader effect is a cognitive bias where people are more likely to be affected by the decisions of others, because they incorrectly think that other people’s decision will have less of an effect on their own.
What does this mean?
In most cases, outside opinions have no bearing on your life. For example, you can choose not to believe what a stranger thinks about your outfit or haircut. However if a stranger decides not to hire you for a job that you really wanted and thought would be perfect for you – it will still hurt. The same goes for anything from relationships to loans – the choices of lenders and partners affect our lives even when we don’t want them to. Yet, there is something about someone else’s choice which leads us to believe that it will always suit us better. People tend to imitate others, even when they know that their decision is wrong.
Why this bias is dangerous?
It might seem like risky business, trying to decide something without actually making a choice. However, there are situations where you really should listen to your inner voice, and the cheerleader effect puts us at risk of ignoring it. This can lead to things like bad decisions or not taking risks for fear of looking silly in front of people who make poor decisions (such as getting tattoos with your ex’s name on). We all want to be seen in a favourable light by our peers which can diminish or distort our ability to act independently when necessary.
Why do people use this bias?
The cheerleader effect is an evolutionary behaviour that originates from our desire to fit in with the crowd. It allows people to feel emotionally secure by being liked and accepted by their peers, even if it means ignoring their own concerns or instincts for safety reasons.
How do people use this bias?
One of the most common ways people choose to ignore their inner voices when faced with a difficult decision is through social validation. This is where one decides what to do based on what they think others will do rather than on personal feelings. The choice may still be correct but would have been different had you followed your own emotions instead of others’. For example, you might take into consideration how many other applicants turned up at the job interview before deciding whether or not to wear a suit.
How can we create this bias?
Conformity is a huge contributor to the cheerleader effect. People are more likely to listen to their inner voice when they feel independent and self-sufficient. This means that there is less chance of them being affected by what others think if they have strong opinions, values and an established sense of self. However, for people who do not have these traits yet, social validation is everything and it often prevents them from making choices that will benefit them in the long run.
How to avoid this bias?
The only way around the cheerleader effect is through introspection – analysing decisions based on your own internal reasoning rather than outside such as news articles or opinion polls. This will help you to be more confident in yourself and to feel less affected by other people’s choices which could be wrong for you. However, introspection can be difficult as self-awareness is a skill that takes time to develop both personally and socially.
Which profession use the bias?
People from all walks of life are influenced by the cheerleader effect but it has been found to occur most often among those who are particularly impressionable such as children, young adults and the elderly.
Examples of Cheerleader effect:
A teenager feeling inclined to start smoking because his/her friends are doing it, A mother rationalising her son’s bad behaviour because all of his friends are behaving in the same way.
Conclusions:
People usually want to be seen in a positive light by their peers. However, this can prevent them from making the right choice if they are confronted with an important dilemma, especially when it involves social validation. This cognitive bias is known as the Cheerleader effect and it occurs when people don’t act independently but instead follow others’ choices or opinions. Some professions are more likely than others to fall victim to this bias yet people of all ages and backgrounds are susceptible so long as the decision could affect how they are perceived by others. Although introspection can help one to avoid following other’s choices blindly, it takes time and effort before one can do it effectively which makes the cheerleader effect extremely difficult to overcome without outside influence.
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