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When is it good to believe bad things?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2010

Joshua M. Ackerman ,
Jenessa R. Shapiro  and
Jon K. Maner
Joshua M. Ackerman
Affiliation:
Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142. [email protected]://web.mit.edu/joshack/www/
Jenessa R. Shapiro
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563. [email protected]
Jon K. Maner
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4301. [email protected]://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/maner.dp.html
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Abstract

Positive and negative misbeliefs both may have evolved to serve important adaptive functions. Here, we focus on the role of negative misbeliefs in promoting adaptive outcomes within the contexts of romantic relationships and intergroup interactions. Believing bad things can paradoxically encourage romantic fidelity, personal safety, competitive success, and group solidarity, among other positive outcomes.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 32 , Issue 6 , December 2009 , pp. 510 - 511
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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