PSYCHOLOGY: The celebration of self delusion

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Around 20% of the American people believe that Barack Hussein Obama is not American. Regardless of your opinions about his politics, that's just plain stupid. Upon being given his birth certificate you'd think at a least a few of the doubters may start to accept the fact that he is not African but rather African American. You might be surprised to learn that the 20% held steady and actually became even move convinced that he was a naturalized citizen and subsequently not allowed to be president of the United States.

The Misconception: You are a rational, logical being who sees the world as it really is.
The Truth: You are as deluded as the rest of us, but that’s OK, it keeps you sane.
You Are Not So Smart is a blog devoted to self delusion and irrational thinking.
youarenotsosmart.com/about/, David McRaney

I found these 2 articles from the blog very interesting and learned a lot about myself and human nature in general. The first is called "The Backfire Effect" and answers the question of why people continue to believe in stupid things even when they are provided with conflicting evidence. Confuted beliefs are in fact often strengthened rather then replaced.

The second article is called "Procrastination" and it tries to set the record straight on why many of us put off difficult tasks, or those that require a little more mental strength, to the future. It contends that procrastination is "fueled by weakness in the face of impulse and a failure to think about thinking." (youarenotsosmart.com/2010/10/27/procrastination/, David McRaney, Ocotber 27, 2010).