Ep 142: Good Troublemakers

Dr. Charlan Nemeth, author of In Defense of Troublemakers, shares
her decades of research on underdogs and dissenters with Andy.
Turns out troublemakers have hidden superpowers that can make
them top-notch critical thinkers and persuaders!


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Full show notes


With so much fake news flying around on social media and the
internet becoming more and more politically polarizing each day,
it’s easy to be worried about whether or not our teens can think
for themselves. On top of online influences, teens are also
susceptible to pressure from their peers in real life, who
threaten to paint them as outcasts if they hold a minority
opinion. With all these forces against us, raising independent
thinkers with their own opinions, values, and moral codes is not
easy.


To make matters even more challenging, psychological studies
inform us that humans are fundamentally wired to abandon our own
thoughts and observations to conform to majority opinion. Not
only that, but we tend to only associate with those who agree
with us–keeping us from questioning our assumptions and
challenging our own perspectives. If we want to raise teens with
strong critical thinking skills, it might be time to teach them
the value of disagreeing with others.


That’s why we’re sitting down With Charlan Nemeth this week.
Charlan is the author of In Defense of Troublemakers: the Power
of Dissent in Life and Business, as well as a professor of
psychology at the University of California Berkeley. After
working as researcher and consultant specializing in influence
and decision making, Charlan has become an expert on the ways
dissent can be a powerful force in changing the world.


In our interview, Charlan and I discuss how even one dissenter
can deeply influence the way a group of people approaches an
issue. We also talk about why it can be so hard for teens to
present dissenting opinions to their peers, and what parents can
do to raise kids who are unafraid to disagree with the majority.


Why Dissent is So Valuable


When we think of a “dissenting opinion”, we may think of someone
boldly defying all odds to speak their truth, instantly changing
the minds of all who hear! But as Charlan explains in the
episode, the effects of dissent can be much more subtle. A
dissenter isn’t necessarily going to sway everyone’s
opinion...and maybe they shouldn’t. But what dissenters can do,
says Charlan, is force us to think outside of the box.


When someone is bold enough to defy the opinion of the
surrounding herd, they push those around them to question their
own reality. They aren’t going to gain everyone’s support right
away, and might even find themselves an outcast. But, undeniably,
they’ll have an effect on the group, says Charlan. It might not
be public, or immediate, but it will rear its head sooner or
later. Those who conform to the majority are likely to find
themselves questioning their perspective down the line, as a
result of even just one dissenting opinion!


Too often kids are raised in “bubbles”, and aren’t exposed to any
people with opinions that go against their own, says Charlan.
Because of this, their minds narrow to only take in evidence that
correlates to what they already believe. When faced with
divergent opinions, they might be resistant, but will eventually
find themselves liberated by the freedom to expand their own
consciousness, Charlan explains. And if they open up their minds
to the dissenting viewpoints of others, they’ll be open to
presenting disagreeable opinions of their own later on.


But for teens, exploring ideas that don’t conform to the majority
is pretty hard! The social world of teenagerhood places a lot of
pressure on teens to not only look, dress, and speak like
everyone else–but think like them as well.


Why Teens Struggle To Swim Against the Current


Holding a minority viewpoint is hard for a lot of reasons. The
first obstacle to believing something outside the majority is
questioning yourself. As Charlan and I discuss in the episode,
humans are undeniably inclined to trust the majority view over
our own, even denying our own senses! When a group of individuals
were told that their entire peer group saw a blue object as
green, they chose to categorize it as green, even though
objective evidence suggested otherwise.


For teens, dissenting is made even more difficult by social
pressures, Charlan explains. All humans fear rejection, but no
one cowers from it more than the modern teen. Fighting for their
place in the brutal social hierarchy of high school, teenagers
are remarkably likely to side with the majority, to avoid
becoming outcasts. Not only that, but teens tend to group with
those who agree with them, only reinforcing the viewpoints they
already hold.


In the episode, Charlan and I talk about how becoming a dissenter
can give kids a strong sense of independence. When they learn to
challenge common perspectives, they start to understand that
those who live a life of conformity often find themselves
unhappy. When they find the courage to define their own beliefs,
they can discover that they are capable of influencing others.
They might even learn that it’s ok to be different!


Raising teens who can think critically is clearly important...so
how can parents help teens see the value of dissenting even when
it’s difficult?


Empowering Teens to Think For Themselves


When it comes to teaching kids to be open minded, Charlan
emphasizes the importance of coming from a place of
understanding, not authority. She believes that modelling,
instead of preaching, is the key to helping kids shed their fear
of voicing minority views. Telling kids to think critically is
not going to get you anywhere. Instead, Charlan encourages you to
show your kid, through action, how valuable it is to challenge
majority opinions.


Interestingly, she suggests notifying kids when you find yourself
at odds with the perspective their friends’ keep. Peer groups
tend to keep kids rooted in one mindset, so parents can play an
essential role in pushing kids to think differently, says
Charlan. She stresses the importance of understanding that your
kid will likely not agree with you. They are their own
individuals, with unique experiences and values that may not
align with yours. Instead of being heavy-handed, Charlan advises
encouraging them to come to their own judgements. This models
open-minded behavior!


In the end, Charlan believes what really matters is empowering
kids to be their authentic selves. While dissent can be
provocative, it rarely causes any ripples if those dissenting
aren’t coming from a place of honesty. Beyond just rocking the
boat, teaching kids to speak their truth is what will help them
to really change the world. As a parent, being unafraid to
express your honest opinions with your child will not only help
them question their own perspective , but shows them that they
don’t have to be afraid to see things differently.


In the Episode…


Charlan and I discuss a broad range of interesting research in
this week’s episode! In addition to the topics above, we also
cover:


How consistency makes us more persuasive

What Ruth Bader Ginsburg can teach us about authenticity

How you can apply the concept of “late compr...