[Bread-Baking Typewriter] The 'Power of Positivity' Brought by Self-Deception

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Although he narrowly missed a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, athlete Woo Sang-hyeok, who set a new Korean record in the high jump, said in a radio interview that when the host asked, "Did you have confidence that you could set a new record even before the competition?" he replied, "It was a secret secret. My coach and I were confident, and we just wanted to get to the Olympics. Once we crossed that threshold, we were confident we could show it at the Olympics." Until the Tokyo Olympics, no Korean high jumper had advanced to the finals since the Atlanta Olympics (1996), so Woo’s confidence might have been a kind of ‘illusion.’ Of course, Woo was not the only athlete who heard from the coaching staff that he could win a medal at this Olympics. In the world of sports, coaches often tell many lies to help athletes achieve their best performance. Some illusions can certainly lead to better results.

As the title suggests, not the ‘freedom of illusion’ but the ‘usefulness of illusion,’ the main point of this book is that self-deception can have a positive effect in some respects. Authors Shankar Vedantam and Bill Mesler argue that sometimes a kind deception or positive self-deception can be more effective in life than brutal truth. They say, "It is not hard to recall moments when one chooses hopeful lies over despairing truths." Of course, there are exceptions. Some, like Immanuel Kant, argue that truth is more important than hope, health, or a happy life. Nevertheless, the authors say, "From an evolutionary perspective, objective truth is neither the goal nor the path to the goal." Years ago, the author asked Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, at Oxford, "Putting aside whether religious claims are true or not, should we take away the comfort that such certainty gives to people who have endured tremendous suffering and find life bearable thanks to religious beliefs about the afterlife?" Dawkins reportedly did not respond.

Illusions are also commercially exploited. The authors give examples such as cars assembled in the same factory with almost identical basic designs and materials selling better when branded ‘Toyota,’ or people perceiving more expensive wines as tasting better. These illusions are explained by the power of the stories that products convey. The authors further extend the meaning of illusion to religion, ethnicity, and nation. They argue that if false beliefs extend a person’s lifespan and myths help communities prosper, and if self-deception encourages people to sacrifice themselves for the well-being of others, thereby benefiting communities, tribes, or nations, then such illusions should be allowed.

The reason why people find it hard to resist illusions even when they know they are illusions is found by the authors in the movie The Truman Show. Truman would have to give up everything he loves to see through the deception that is fooling him. He would have to realize that his friends are not really friends, his job is not a real job, and his wife is not a real wife. Could he really handle that?

The authors caution against simply interpreting self-deception and illusions as irrational or unscientific. Rather, they consider them natural responses to one’s circumstances. If one’s situation worsens or, as the authors say, the pillars holding up one’s life bend and shake, it becomes even harder not to seek salvation in a god.

(The Usefulness of Illusion / Shankar Vedantam & Bill Mesler / Translated by Han Lee / Banni / 18,000 KRW)

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