Science can explain other people’s minds, but not mine: self-other differences in beliefs about science

ABSTRACT

Four studies show that people differ in their lay beliefs concerning the degree to which science can explain their mind and the minds of other people. In particular, people are more receptive to the idea that the psychology of other people is explainable by science than to the possibility of science explaining their own psychology. This self-other difference is moderated by the degree to which people associate a certain mental phenomenon with introspection. Moreover, this self-other difference has implications for the science-recommended products and practices that people choose for themselves versus others.

KEYWORDS:

• Folk epistemology
• intuitive theories
• self-other differences
• introspection
• choice-advice asymmetry

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Madalena Peixoto for her help in collecting data.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.