Bruce M. Hood > Quotes

“We must believe in free will – we have no choice. Isaac Bashevis Singer”
― Bruce M. Hood, The Self Illusion: Why There is No 'You' Inside Your Head

“We can all talk to the dead. It’s getting them to talk back that’s the hard part.”2”
― Bruce M. Hood, The Science of Superstition

“The problem with open minds is that everything falls out—including our reason.”
― Bruce M. Hood, The Science of Superstition

“If we were content with ownership, then we would stop acquiring more stuff. But the combination of the thrill of the chase, the need for status and the crippling sense at the prospect of loss reveal that ownership Is one the strongest human urges and does not easily respond to reason. Of course, most of think we are the exception, but then, that is why we are possessed.”
― Bruce M. Hood, Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need

“the brain registers what is really out there in the world, makes a decision about what should be out there, and then generates its own brain activity as if what it has decided should be out there really is.”
― Bruce M. Hood, The Science of Superstition

“Anonymity to outsiders appears to be the crucial factor when individuals feel that they are not accountable, which leads to greater antisocial behavior. Riots, lynching, and hooliganism are all believed to be examples of mob mentality that are thought to thrive through the process of deindividuation.10 In contrast, the more that we lose anonymity, the more we conform and behave. In one simple study, researchers placed a picture of a pair of eyes on the wall above a collection tin in the coffee room where staff members paid for their beverages.11 For the next 10 weeks, they alternated posting pictures of flowers or watchful eyes above the coffee pot. People were more honest in paying for their beverages when the eyes were posted. Just like the self-conscious Halloween children, we are more honest when a mirror is present to reflect our behavior. When we are made self-conscious, we become more accountable.”
― Bruce M. Hood, The Self Illusion: How the Social Brain Creates Identity

“There is not one self or multiple selves in the first place. Rather, it is the external world that switches us from one character to another. This idea that we are a reflection of the situations is sometimes called the looking-glass self 9 – we exist as the reflection of those around us.”
― Bruce M. Hood, The Self Illusion: Why There is No 'You' Inside Your Head

“We learn to interpret, predict, anticipate and negotiate in the playground. Gradually over late childhood and adolescence we increasingly elaborate the narrative of who we are and eventually strike out to become a character differentiated from those who shaped us.”
― Bruce M. Hood, The Self Illusion: Why There is No 'You' Inside Your Head

“The brain creates both the mind and the body we experience. A physical thing creates the mental world we inhabit.”
― Bruce M. Hood, The Science of Superstition

“Those who reject the notion of a self in control of destiny, lead sadder, less satisfying lives.”
― Bruce M. Hood, The Self Illusion: Why There is No 'You' Inside Your Head

“If we were content with ownership, then we would stop acquiring more stuff. But the combination of the thrill of the chase, the need for status and the crippling sense at the prospect of loss reveal that ownership is one the strongest human urges and does not easily respond to reason. Of course, most of think we are the exception, but then, that is why we are possessed.”
― Bruce M. Hood, Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need

“But whether we are distancing our self from the herd, or ingratiating our self as part of the herd, it is the existence of others that defines who we are.”
― Bruce M. Hood, The Self Illusion: How the Social Brain Creates Identity