Ever met someone that believed in something that you think is totally false? And not only that, he seems to have a desperate need to convince you of the rightness of his beliefs?

I see many of you nodding your heads, and smiling that secret smile while you fondly or not so fondly remember your encounter with Doofus.

But before you dismiss your Doofus, consider that Fox Mulder, a well-loved character from the popular series the X-Files, shares those similar traits. Fox Mulder believed very deeply in a government conspiracy to hide the existence of extra-terrestrials. Furthermore, he worked his entire life, making countless personal sacrifices, in order to prove those rather outrageous beliefs to himself and to society at large.

The truth is, there is more than a bit of Fox Mulder in all of us.

Why Fox Mulder Believes

Why do otherwise perfectly reasonable people, believe in unreasonable things?

Social psychology studies show that it has to do with commitment and consistency. People, all people, have a natural tendency to stay consistent with previous decisions they have made. Indeed, there is great social pressure to do so, because an individual who keeps going back on his word, or who does not honor his commitments is viewed as weak-minded, untrustworthy, and lacking in personal fortitude.

We certainly do not want to end up as one of these weak-minded losers, so many of us will go to great lengths to honor our previous commitments even at great cost to ourselves.

Because of this consistency to commitment, we will likely agree to further transactions with someone whom we have previously committed to. After all, we have done all the initial research in making our first decision, there is no need to keep revisiting that decision over and over again.

This is what marketing people call customer loyalty.

Once we commit to a certain brand, we will likely stick to it rather than repeat that same research every time, during the point of purchase.

The same also holds for our beliefs.

Commitment and Consistency

Because of our consistency to commitments, clever marketers will first hook customers by giving them special sign-up bonuses, special gifts, personal attention, and much more to get that first commitment. In fact, the first sale will often make them little if any money. However, in the long-term, they will make good money from the continued transactions of their committed customers.

Once we commit, once we believe, we want to stay consistent with those commitments and beliefs.

Real life examples of this can be found everywhere from hailing dog trainer Cesar Millan as a Saint, who can do no wrong, to an insistence that L. Ron Hubbard is the second Messiah.

Once we have committed, we want to, need to, stay consistent with those beliefs.

The more uncertain we are of those beliefs, the more we cling to it. Like Fox Mulder, we have already made countless sacrifices to that commitment. We have sunk in all our life savings, we have reordered our life, we have slapped, poked, shocked, and intimidated our dogs, and we have performed various other unspeakable acts; to admit our core belief is wrong would be to concede that all those sacrifices, all those acts, were for nothing.

After a while, admitting that we have made a mistake is no longer an option.

Is Being Fox Mulder Bad?

It is crucial to note that not all consistency is of the foolish variety. For example, once I have found a dentist that I like, and who does good work, I will consistently return to him for my future visits. Consistency in this context is helpful and saves me the time and effort of repeating the same research every six months.

I use the same rules of consistency when buying toys, food and treats for my dogs. I also use the same rules of consistency when grocery shopping for myself. Initially, I will read product reviews and research the items, but once I have made an informed decision, I will rely on that research until something noticeable changes.

Consistency to commitments that we have made to our friends and family is also important. If we keep breaking our word, we will soon not have many friends nor friendly relatives.

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.
~~[Ralph Waldo Emerson]

In fact, consistency to commitment is frequently good practice, but as expressed so well by Emerson, a foolish consistency is what we want to guard against.

What is a foolish consistency?

• A foolish consistency is clinging to a decision or belief when there is convincing evidence that we have made a mistake.
• A foolish consistency is rejecting new information that may shed new light on previous decisions we have made.
• A foolish consistency is attacking others who disagree rather than considering the merits of their information.
• A foolish consistency is letting others manipulate us into doing something that we would never do otherwise simply because we need to stay consistent.
• A foolish consistency is throwing reason to the wind.

Are You Fox Mulder?

All of us have some of Fox Mulder in us. There will be some beliefs that we stubbornly cling to because we have simply invested too much in them.

Consider however, that to continue in our foolish consistency, would mean investing even more of our resources into a foolish enterprise.

Reason dictates that it is better to cut our losses as soon as we can, rather than continue being a slave to our past errors.

In this there is also a tendency towards stubbornness, and against change. In fact, change is almost always difficult, and it is easier to keep our eyes shut and stay the course. Staying the course is often considered the right thing to do because winners do not quit, and

“If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.”
~~[Thomas H. Palmer]

Here is the modified version that takes foolish consistency into account.

“If at first you don’t succeed try, try again. Then quit. There’s no use in being a damn fool about it.”
~~[W. C. Fields]

Stop Foolish Consistency

1. Think objectively

Always be as objective as possible in your decision making process. Be open to new knowledge, and do not automatically reject dissenting views. Every time you feel yourself automatically rejecting something, stop and think about it for at least a minute to make sure that you are not falling into the trap of foolish consistency.

2. View issues from a variety of angles

Try to empathize with others and put yourself in their shoes so that you can view an issue from multiple different directions. Stay away from personal attacks, sarcasm, and ridicule. Instead, try to find common ground and exchange information positively.

In Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin attributed many of President Lincoln’s successes to the fact that he included many of the people who had been running against him in his wartime Cabinet.

The general premise here is that much can be learned from the people who disagree with you most.

3. Do not be afraid of being wrong

If there is new information that warrants a review of previous decisions, then do so immediately. If I have made a mistake, I think it is best to correct it as soon as I can rather than foolishly staying on the wrong course.

Do not be afraid of being wrong. To err is human, so apologize for your mistake and move on to better things.