Guarding Inner Illusions

The article explains that the mind does more than make decisions: it may also invent explanations for them after the fact to protect a person’s self-image. Benjamin Libet’s experiments showed that neural activity can sometimes precede conscious awareness of a decision, while Michael Gazzaniga’s studies revealed that the brain may come up with an explanation for behavior even when it does not know what caused it. People tend to favor ideas that align with their beliefs, blame circumstances for their failures, and attribute their successes to their own abilities. They may also see admitting a mistake as a threat to the ego. The article concludes that this tendency does not make truth unattainable, but it does call for us to examine our biases and remain humble about the possibility that we may be wrong.

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