Three nights ago, I was jolted awake around 1 a.m. by the unmistakable voice of Adolf Hitler booming from my housemate's room. It was as if a ghost from history had suddenly materialized in our shared living space. Disoriented and disturbed, I lay in bed trying to make sense of what I was hearing. My housemate was profoundly drunk and blasting a compilation of Hitler's speeches. I later discovered that this was not merely a drunken escapade but rather a manifestation of his deeply disturbing belief system: he's a Holocaust denier who believes Hitler loved Jewish people. The next day, he nonchalantly declared to us that he “loves the sound of Hitler’s voice.”
His statement, shocking and unsettling as it is, provides a chilling real-life illustration of the powerful forces explored in one of my client’s, Dan Ariely, book, Misbelief. Throughout the book, Dan seeks to understand why seemingly rational people come to adopt and defend irrational, often harmful, beliefs. In seeking to make sense of his own experience of being demonized by COVID-19 deniers and conspiracy theorists, Dan examines the emotional, cognitive, personality-based, and social elements that contribute to the phenomenon he terms "misbelief." He argues that misbelief is not simply a matter of accepting falsehoods about particular facts but is, rather, a kind of distorted lens through which people view the world, reason about it, and describe it to others.
One of the key emotional drivers of misbelief, according to Dan, is stress.
When people feel stressed, they experience a heightened need to make sense of the world around them and to feel a sense of control, particularly when events seem random or senseless. This need for control can lead people to seek out simple, easily digestible explanations, even if those explanations are factually inaccurate.
The need to attribute blame to a villain is a common manifestation of this stress-driven search for meaning.
Dan points to the example of climate change to illustrate this point. People who are distressed by extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and other signs of a changing climate may find it psychologically comforting to attribute those phenomena to a sinister agent, such as a government conducting secret geoengineering experiments, rather than confronting the complex and multifaceted reality of climate change. Similarly, people who feel threatened by social change, economic instability, or the erosion of traditional values might be more susceptible to narratives that blame those unsettling changes on powerful, malevolent forces, such as global elites, immigrants, or members of a particular religious or ethnic group.
My housemate's fascination with Hitler and his pronouncements likely stems from similar psychological processes.
The world can feel like a confusing and unpredictable place, particularly in an era marked by rapid technological change, political polarization, and global uncertainty. For some, the allure of a powerful, charismatic figure like Hitler might provide a comforting illusion of order and control. It's easier to believe that a single evil genius orchestrated the horrors of the Holocaust than to grapple with the complex historical, social, and psychological factors that made such atrocities possible. This desire for a villain is particularly potent when fueled by the "proportionality bias," the human tendency to seek out explanations that are proportional to the scale of the event. As Dan points out, "When something really big happens, we assume that something really big must have caused it".
In the case of my housemate, his belief that Hitler was a benevolent figure who "loved Jewish people" might provide a sense of psychological relief from the overwhelming horror of the Holocaust. It’s easier to believe in a villain with clear intentions than to confront the reality of widespread complicity and the banality of evil. This psychological comfort is, however, short-lived and comes at a high cost, as it allows him to avoid confronting the moral implications of Hitler’s actions and the profound suffering inflicted upon millions of people.
The need for belonging is another powerful social driver of misbelief.
Humans are profoundly social creatures who crave connection and acceptance. When people feel ostracized or alienated from their existing social groups, they may be more susceptible to the allure of new communities that offer a sense of belonging, purpose, and shared identity. These new communities often coalesce around shared beliefs, even if those beliefs are factually inaccurate or demonstrably harmful.
My housemate's attraction to Hitler and his ideology might stem from a similar need for social connection.
Perhaps he feels alienated from mainstream society or seeks a community that validates his worldview. In the online echo chambers of Holocaust denial and neo-Nazi groups, he might find a sense of belonging and affirmation that he lacks in his offline life. The internet, with its myriad online forums and social media platforms, has made it easier than ever for people to find like-minded individuals and to reinforce each other's beliefs, even when those beliefs are demonstrably false or dangerous.
In closing, I think my housemate's unsettling fascination with Hitler is more than just a personal quirk.
It's a reminder that we all possess the capacity for misbelief. The forces that drew my housemate down the funnel of Holocaust denial are the same forces that can lead any of us to embrace falsehoods, particularly when we're feeling stressed, alienated, or uncertain. Recognizing the psychological and social factors that contribute to misbelief is crucial if we hope to counter its corrosive effects on individuals, communities, and societies. As Dan suggests, “Perhaps the most helpful—and hopeful—place for any of us to start is with understanding and empathy. Yes, the content of the misinformation we encounter can range from laughable to strange to ludicrous to offensive and even dangerous. Some of it deserves the pejorative label “conspiracy theory.”
But what drives people to engage with this content may be more relatable than we’d like to admit”.
P.S. Yes, I am still moving ASAP lol. I can understand him and stay away hahahaha.
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