[Illustrated Guide to Unconscious Habits] Volume 32: 'The tendency to unconditionally believe that something is correct when told by an authority figure' - To whom are you entrusting your judgment?

Welcome to the 'Illustrated Guide to Unconscious Habits'.

Our daily lives are filled with things that we think we see, but actually do not.

You think you are moving on your own, but before you know it, you are repeating the same actions. You think you are making choices, but before you realize it, you are having the same reactions.

The hand that reaches out casually. The words that suddenly slip from your lips. The actions you repeat for no reason.

Are those really things that you yourself chose?

Without you noticing, something is moving deep within your heart. And that small something creates today's choices, determines tomorrow's actions, and eventually quietly changes the direction of your life.

It might be an invisible script that quietly manipulates your life. Today, let's open one more door of the unconscious hidden deep within our daily lives.

Chapter 1: The moment they put on a white coat, the same explanation sounded correct

🔷 This is a story about an ordinary man

Mr. Saeki is a 52-year-old office worker. One morning, he felt a discomfort in his throat. At first, he thought, 'It's probably just a little dry,' but by the afternoon, his throat stung every time he spoke. On his way home from work, Mr. Saeki stopped by a drugstore in front of the station.

While he was hesitating in front of the medicine shelf, a clerk nearby spoke to him.

'Are you looking for something?'

Mr. Saeki explained that his throat hurt, he didn't have a fever, and he had a slight cough. The clerk listened carefully and explained while pointing out several products.

'For these symptoms, I think this one would be suitable.'

The explanation should have been easy to understand. However, a feeling of indecision remained somewhere inside Mr. Saeki.

'Thank you. I'll think about it and come back later.'

Saying that, he left the store once that day.

🔷 When told by someone in a white coat, I was suddenly convinced

However, even after returning home, the pain in his throat did not subside. In the end, about three hours later, Mr. Saeki headed to the same drugstore again.

This time, a clerk wearing a white coat was standing in the back of the medicine section. Mr. Saeki felt a little relieved and spoke to that person.

Excuse me, my throat hurts. Which one would you recommend?

The clerk in the white coat checked the symptoms and explained in a calm tone.

If you don't have a fever and the pain is mainly in your throat, I think this one would be easy to use.

The moment Saeki heard that explanation, he thought:

Oh, I see. Then I'll go with this one.

He felt more convinced than before. The words felt like they carried more weight. He even thought to himself that it really makes a difference when you ask a professional.

🔷 Realizing it was the same person

As he headed to the checkout, the clerk in the white coat smiled slightly and said:

This is the same explanation as before, but are you sure this one is okay?

Saeki paused for a moment.

Eh... before?

That was when he realized it for the first time. The clerk who had explained it to him earlier and the clerk in the white coat now were the same person. The only difference was that the person hadn't been wearing a white coat before, but was wearing one now.

The content of the explanation was almost identical. The person speaking was the same. Yet, he couldn't decide earlier, but was immediately convinced this time. Saeki felt a bit strange as he held the medicine.

Did he make his decision based on the explanation, or did he make it based on the white coat?

That small sense of discomfort lingered within Saeki for a while.

Chapter 2: When you encounter authority, your judgment changes

🔷 Milgram demonstrated 'obedience to authority'

Why do people tend to believe someone unconditionally when told by an authority figure?

A famous study for considering this issue is the obedience experiment by Yale University psychologist Dr. Stanley Milgram. In this experiment conducted in 1963, a researcher in a white coat instructed subjects to administer electric shocks to someone in another room.

Even when the other person appeared to be in pain, many subjects continued to follow instructions when the researcher said, 'Please continue.' This experiment shows that when humans are in front of an authority figure, they prioritize the other person's instructions over their own judgment.

🔷 Hofling showed that the same thing happens in medical settings

Furthermore, psychiatrist Charles Hofling and his colleagues conducted an experiment on nurses at an actual hospital. When a person claiming to be an unfamiliar doctor called and instructed them to administer a dose of medication exceeding the regulations to a patient, many of the nurses attempted to follow the instruction.

Nurses are medical professionals. In theory, they are in a position to question medication dosages and procedures. However, once the authoritative title of 'doctor' is attached, it becomes easier to follow even dangerous instructions.

This is an important study showing that authority strongly influences human judgment.

🔷 Emory University research demonstrated 'offloading of thought'

Additionally, Dr. Jan Engelmann and Dr. Gregory Berns of Emory University investigated how the brain functions when receiving advice from experts.

It was shown that when expert advice was given in investment decision-making scenarios, the brain activity related to decision-making and critical thinking in the subjects weakened. The study explains this as 'offloading of thought'.

In other words, when an authoritative person appears, the brain decides, 'I can just leave it to this person,' and offloads the burden of thinking for itself to someone else.

It is not unusual that Saeki-san was convinced by the same explanation the moment he saw a white coat. White coats, doctors, experts, bosses—when we encounter such signs of authority, our judgment quietly changes.

Chapter 3: The moment you touch the memory of authority, the reaction is triggered

🔷 The white coat was a memory switch

The reason Saeki-san was convinced by the second explanation was not because the content of the talk had changed significantly. The person was the same. The explanation was almost the same. What was different was whether or not the person was wearing a white coat.

However, this white coat is not just clothing.

Within our memories, images associated with 'authority'—such as white coats, doctors, pharmacists, experts, teachers, professors, department managers, and company presidents—have accumulated. Since we were children, people in white coats have been treated as knowledgeable people, teachers as those who teach, bosses as those who make decisions, and experts as those who know the truth.

The moment we touch that memory, a switch is flipped in our unconscious.

🔷 The five senses recall past memories in an instant

People think they are making judgments after listening to the content. But in reality, information entering through the eyes and ears is calling up past memories first.

Seeing a white coat. Hearing a voice call someone 'Doctor.' Being introduced as 'an expert.' Hearing 'the department manager said so.' Being told 'this is the doctor's opinion.'

At that moment, the brain begins to process the person in front of you not as just another human being, but as 'someone to follow,' 'someone knowledgeable,' or 'someone to whom I can entrust my judgment.'

This is not something we decide consciously. Information entering through the five senses connects with past memories, instantly triggering a reaction to authority.

🔷 Before making a judgment, a posture of obedience is already formed

Mr. Saeki might have thought he was calmly comparing the explanations about the medicine and was convinced. But in reality, the moment he saw the white coat, the premise that 'this person's explanation is reliable' had already been established.

In other words, before he even made a judgment, a posture of obedience had been formed.

This is the fear of authority.

Before we even consider whether the words of an authority figure are correct, our unconscious begins to treat that person as someone on the 'correct side.' Before examining the content, our memory reacts, our body leans toward agreement, and our thoughts follow along afterward.

Authority does not exist solely within the other person.

It is something that is evoked the moment our memory's reaction of 'I should obey this person' comes into contact with the white coat or title in front of us.

Chapter 4: The True Nature of Unconscious Habits

🔷 When you encounter authority, your ability to think tends to stop

Believing the words of an authority figure is not inherently bad. It is important to refer to the words of people with experience and knowledge, such as doctors, experts, bosses, and teachers.

The problem is that the moment you hear those words, your ability to think for yourself stops.

'If an expert says it, it must be true.'
'If a teacher says it, there is no mistake.'
'If a boss decides it, I have no choice but to follow.'
'If a famous person is saying it, it must be okay to believe it.'

When these reactions occur, we stop looking at the content itself. What is the basis? Is it really right for me? Are there other possibilities? We skip such checks and accept the words of authority as they are.

🔷 Your thinking is hijacked by authority

Unconscious habits are not your enemy.
They are small signs coming from the depths of your heart.

The habit of following authority also has a purpose originally. It is difficult to research everything and judge everything by yourself. Therefore, humans try to reduce the burden on their brains by entrusting their judgment to people who seem reliable.

However, it is dangerous if it goes too far.

Believing the moment you see a white coat. Being convinced the moment you hear a title. With one word from a boss, you withdraw your own sense of discomfort. The moment you hear an expert's words, you act as if your own intuition never existed.

At that moment, it is not you who is thinking. Authority is holding the steering wheel inside your head.

🔷 Control is taken away the moment you entrust your judgment

What is truly frightening is not that people in authority might be wrong, but that you stop thinking for yourself.

There is a difference between using someone's words as a reference and surrendering your own judgment.

If you use them as a reference, the initiative still remains with you. However, the moment you decide that 'if this person says it, it must be entirely true,' the initiative for judgment shifts to the other person.

That is why what is important is not to deny authority.

Do I truly understand what this person is saying?
Even if I strip away their title, can I still agree with this explanation?
Am I keeping the final judgment in my own hands?

Those questions become the gateway to bringing back the thinking you were about to entrust to authority to your own domain.

Chapter 5: We become different people when faced with authority

🔷 Your attitude changes depending on the person

We like to think that we choose our own attitudes. However, if you look closely at your daily life, you may find that your behavior changes significantly depending on who you are with.

For example, imagine someone who is usually blunt when greeting others. They might just give a casual 'Good morning' to the person sitting next to them, and barely make eye contact with a junior colleague. Yet, the moment the company president or an executive walks by, they suddenly straighten their back, change the tone of their voice, and bow deeply.

The person themselves may not intend to switch their behavior so consciously. But their body reacts the moment it sees the other person's title.

I must behave properly with this person.
I must not be rude to this person.
It might be bad if I go against this person.

Such judgments begin to move before you even have a chance to think.

🔷 Authority exists within human relationships

Doctors, experts, teachers, bosses, company presidents. These people are, of course, human beings. If you remove their titles, they are beings who worry, make mistakes, and feel lost just like anyone else.

However, the moment a title is attached, we stop seeing the other person as just a human being.

A 'superior person'
A 'knowledgeable person'
A 'person one must not defy'
A 'person who holds the judgment'

We end up seeing them as that kind of existence.

And in accordance with that view, our own attitude changes. Our voice becomes quieter. We swallow what we want to say. We stay silent even if we feel something is wrong. We place the other person's words above our own senses.

Reacting to authority means seeing the other person as larger than they are. And at the same time, it means making yourself smaller.

🔷 Keep the final decision in your own hands

The reaction to follow authority is, in a sense, a defensive mechanism inherent in humans. For humans who have lived in groups, opposing those in higher positions must have led to dangerous situations in certain contexts.

That is why we brace ourselves when faced with authority. We feel it is safer to comply. We feel it is easier to go along than to question. However, when we in the modern age are consumed by that reaction, we lose our own judgment.

The important thing is not to deny authority. It is necessary to borrow the knowledge of experts and listen to the opinions of superiors. However, you must not hand over the final decision.

Is this person really saying something correct?
Am I just reacting to their title?
Am I pushing my own sense of discomfort somewhere else right now?

You must ask yourself these questions. Observe how you change in front of an authoritative person. At that moment, the initiative of judgment that was unconsciously taken away begins to return to your hands little by little.

Chapter 6: Conclusion

How was it?

We live our lives thinking that we are thinking for ourselves, convincing ourselves, and choosing for ourselves.

However, the moment we see a white coat. The moment we hear words like 'Doctor,' 'Expert,' or 'President.' Without realizing it, something in our minds may have switched.

If this person says it, it must be right.
It is better not to go against this person.
It is safe to follow this person.

That small reaction might be stopping your own judgment without you knowing it.

Am I truly convinced right now?
Or am I just reacting to authority?

That question becomes the first step to noticing the invisible script. Next time, I will continue to pick up on unconscious signs that lurk in daily life.

🔷 Postscript: Starting September 1st, I will begin a note membership

There is time that we have had taken away by anxiety, hesitation, comparison, and self-denial without even realizing it.

Things we actually wanted to do. Things we wanted to face. Time we wanted to use for ourselves. In order to gradually reclaim these, on September 1st, I will open the 'Institute for Reclaiming Life's Initiative' within this note.

This is not a place to change yourself through sheer willpower. It is a training ground for understanding what is happening within you, noticing unconscious reactions, and returning the time and choices you have surrendered until now to your own hands, one by one.

Detailed information will be shared in order starting from the second half of August.