Not everyone sees the world the same way. This is one of the reasons why market economies work better than centrally planned economies. If everyone preferred black mid-size sedans, a state-owned automaker could produce millions of copies of a standardized car and achieve significant economies of scale. But not everyone has the same tastes.
None of this is particularly controversial. But the rest of this article will be a little more controversial. I contend that most people underestimate how differently others see the world from how they see it.
I have met a lot of people who love modern art and a lot of people who I don’t like modern art. In this last group, I often find that there is a lack of belief that anyone really likes abstract art. I often hear people suggest that modern art lovers are faking an interest in it to appear hip. What’s going on here? Before answering that question, let’s consider another example.
Over my lifetime, political polarization has increased dramatically. People no longer just disagree with those who have different opinions, they increasingly view others as bad people. More and more often, people refuse to date someone who has different political views, which rarely happened when I was young. What is going on ? It is not nice to suggest that those with different artistic tastes are impostors, nor is it nice to suggest that those with different political views are bad.
I don’t think the increased political polarization is due to the issues becoming more important. In the 1960s and 1970s, the world was facing many very important problems, such as high inflation, the nuclear arms race, and the Vietnam War. Instead, I believe the increased polarization is due to the (mis)impression that others see what you see.
People who cannot accept that other people like modern art suffer from a lack of imagination, an inability to understand that others process visual information differently than they do. Those who view voters of the opposing party as evil often fail to understand that not everyone sees political issues the same way.
Differences of opinion on economic regulation or corporate taxation are not necessarily a source of political polarization. Voters understand that the issues are complex and that other people may have a different point of view. Polarization is more likely to occur when issues seem more personal (trans rights, abortion, affirmative action, etc.). Polarization also increases when political styles become more diverse. People often gravitate towards the style they prefer and wonder how someone could be attracted to the opposing candidate. Over the course of my life, I have seen a growing divergence in political styles.
At the same time, religious polarization has generally declined over time, except when a religion takes an overt political stance.
Hypochondria is another example. Many doctors assume that patients are faking an illness if they can’t diagnose the problem. A few decades ago, a colleague of mine (in his forties) went to the highly rated Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston complaining of chest pain. The hospital ran some tests and sent him home, perhaps considering him a hypochondriac. A few hours later, he died of a massive heart attack.
Don’t assume you know what’s going on in other people’s heads. You don’t. Don’t you think your neighbor needs a painkiller? How would you know? We need free markets precisely because we don’t know what other people see, feel, and taste.
