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Why we don't need built-in misbeliefs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2010

Carol S. Dweck
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. dweck@stanford.edu

Abstract

In this commentary, I question the idea that positive illusions are evolved misbeliefs on the grounds that positive illusions are often maladaptive, are not universal, and may be by-products of existing mechanisms. Further, because different beliefs are adaptive in different situations and cultures, it makes sense to build in a readiness to form beliefs rather than the beliefs themselves.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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