Does 'herd mentality' cause stupidity or stupidity causes 'herd mentality' ?

[QuestionObsession]

[Lliam]

People tend to think that if the majority believes something is true, it must be true. In other words, they rely on consensus.
What they don't realize is that mainstream media manufactures the appearance of consensus by repeating the same thing on every outlet and failing to mention information that conflicts with the desired narrative. And if conflicting information manages to become public, it is mocked or called conspiracy theory.

Another thing is, people tend to hang out with like minded people. So if everyone in their group has the same opinion on something, it feels like consensus.

I think laziness and ignorance leads to herd mentality, and herd mentality not only reinforces laziness and ignorance, but also makes people reject information that conflicts with the consensus without even researching it for themselves. They become parrots. They form beliefs, not opinions that can be revised or changed as they gain more information. They abandon their own power of reason and their ability to assess solid documentation and reason. They refuse to question and seek answers.

Mark Twain's quote, "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect," is a call for critical thinking and independent judgment.

[QuestionObsession]

@Lliam I remembered Mark Twain had said something about 'majority'. That's the quote. You read my mind.

[genericname85]

i think the fact that we're all mutually dependent, forcing us to "be" a herd and not just have "herd mentality" fosters a sort of complacency that let's people deactivate their critical thinking ability or maybe it's that theimportance of a sense of "belonging" becomes more imporatant than doing things right. cause doing things right would do less for your personal outcomes than actually belonging to the society you're in. that's why shit like nazi germany happens. if you're not on board with everyone around you, you're shunned. and with that come major disadvantages for your personal life that aren't worth the effort of doing the morally right thing.

[DishLady]

Both… it’s a catch22. Some folks are made to follow (bc they don’t know themselves well enough or are just people pleasers) and some follow bc they’re bored or whatever.

[petitedollbabee]

Stupidity causes herd mentality. Herd mentality means you don’t have the intelligence to think for yourself.

[slatyb]

It goes both ways. Highly intelligent people tend to think independently, and are not swayed by group opinion. Today it is less imperative to follow one's native tribe because it's so easy to migrate elsewhere. Less thoughtful people feel safe within their tribe and will go along with the tribal beliefs to avoid being cast out.

[zagor]

That is an "and".