Michael Shermer debunks myths, superstitions and urban legends, and explains why we believe them.
In his insightful TED talk on self deception he delves into the cognitive and psychological science behind delusional, irrational and unconscious self deceiving thought that attempts to manifest itself as a category of reality in the world.
“We have association learning and naturally find patterns in the things around us” Shermer states.
He goes on to note, there is a danger to pseudo science and believing in that science. “We evolved there was a natural selection for a propensity for our belief engines, our pattern seeking brain processes to always find meaningful patterns.”
The “Kissing” experiment at the end of this 19 min video is worth the watch.