Group polarization

By the end, the group becomes even more positive.

This phenomenon is known as group polarization.

Research on group polarization shows that group discussion can sometimes shift members toward a more extreme position in the direction of their initial tendency.

Why? One explanation involves persuasive arguments.

When people discuss an issue, they may hear arguments supporting their existing direction that they had not previously considered.

I'm Ethan Reed.

Today, we explored what happens when individuals become part of groups.

We looked at roles, norms, social identity, social loafing, information sharing, responsibility, leadership, conflict, group polarization, anonymity, deindividuation, and the surprising ways groups can either amplify or weaken human performance.

In 2001, legal scholar Cass Sunstein at Harvard University studied what happens when people who already believe the same dumb things suddenly find each other on the internet.

He called it group polarization.

When gullible people only talk to other gullible people, they don't get smarter.

They get dumber.