In 1977, Lee Ross, a social psychology professor at Stanford University, conducted an experiment that focused on how humans can incorrectly conclude that others think the same way they do. Thus, they form a ‘false consensus’ between their own beliefs and the beliefs and preferences of others.

To test this theory, Ross set up an experiment involving 320 of Stanford’s undergraduates and divided them into 4 groups of 80. Each group was told a brief story that had a clear behavioral choice such as whether to let a TV company use footage of you for their commercial or whether a large sum of money should be allocated to a space program. Participants were then required to fill out a questionnaire asking them which option they would choose, to guess which option other people would choose, and to describe the attributes of the people choosing either option.

Ross found that the participants, regardless of which option they would choose, would think that the majority of other people would choose the same as them. Also, when asked to describe the attributes of the people who chose the option opposite of their own, participants often made bold and sometimes negative predictions about their opposer’s personalities. This led Ross to discover the false consensus effect where individuals think that other people share their beliefs when they often do not.

The false consensus effect proves that people judge how others make their decisions based on how they themselves would make their own. It also shows that people may look down upon those that oppose their opinions. This could have serious implications when it comes to representative decision-making. In America, we are a representative democracy, so citizens do not do the decision-making, those that we elect do. Thus, a psychological barrier is imposed between the elected official and their constituents. Elected officials are human too, and although they are expected to vote on behalf of the wants/needs of their constituents, a false consensus could factor into their choice in voting on policy.

My ‘This I Believe’ podcast focused on the importance of listening to others, and this experiment ties in well with that theme. From a psychological standpoint, if we are not explicitly told another person’s belief, we are likely to subconsciously assume that their beliefs match our own. This can be damaging for relationships that lack communication. If we are willing to listen and understand the viewpoints of others, we can eliminate the influence of the false consensus effect. However, people simply do not have the time to listen to every other person, so it is important to keep in mind the presence of the false consensus effect and to assume that your opinion cannot speak for others.