Groupthink

This is a 300 word submission for a writing post with a magazine about zombies. I'll be expanding it shortly to make it a full size article.

When is a good idea not a good idea? After surviving a few zombie attacks and coming out relatively unscathed, you and the group you are with will most likely be feeling quite positive, relative to your surroundings of course. For decades, psychological studies have shown that if your group are highly cohesive, you may start to see suggestions for future action from whoever has taken a leadership role as being unanimously good. You will become numb to critical thinking and anyone countering the 'positive' suggestions will be viewed with suspicious eyes and subconsciously branded as an outsider. Sound bad? It is. Historical events such as The Bay of Pigs invasion and the repeated refusal of three separate administrations to pull out of the Vietnam war have been judged by numerous psychological experts as the result of a cognitive bias known as groupthink.

Unchecked, this has the potential to destroy your group and in a worst case scenario could result in everyone's death. One way to stop, or at the very least stem the effects of groupthink is simply to be aware of it. Once a day, nominate a devil's advocate whose job is to criticize or pick at every decision. This is a generally successful tactic because the inner voice of doubt that groupthink silences is instead a very real external voice. So, when is a good idea not a good idea? When you fall prey to your natural cognitive biases and fail to consider the alternatives. Stay vigilant, and you might just survive.