The Authority Principle

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Have you ever wondered why a doctor's white coat holds such sway? Or why a book review from The New York Times can catapult a novel to bestseller status? This isn't mere happenstance. It's a testament to the deep-seated authority bias hardwired into our cognitive machinery.

Humans, as a species, are remarkably efficient at navigating the complexities of the world. To avoid cognitive overload, we rely on mental shortcuts, or heuristics, that allow us to make quick judgments and decisions with minimal effort. The authority principle is one such shortcut, a deeply ingrained tendency to defer to those we perceive as experts or leaders.

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