9 Examples of Counterintuitive Situations You’ll Encounter in Life

Have you noticed any social paradoxes in everyday life? I’m a careful observer of how people behave, and I have noticed a few examples of counterintuitive social behavior.

A paradox is something that goes against common sense. You expect one thing, but get another. You anticipate a certain behavior, but see something else entirely. You have read about how things should work in theory, but they don’t work out that way in practice (real life).

Paradoxes are all around us, and they make life that much more interesting.

Open your mind and begin observing social interactions. You may also start noticing the following:

1. The less desperate you are for something, the more likely you are to get it. This applies to job offers, affection from the opposite sex, bank loans, etc.

2. The less choices you are presented with, the more likely you are to pick one. This applies to cars on the lot, types of soup at the supermarket, picking someone at the bar to go home with, etc.

3. The less chance you have of changing your decision after you have made it, the more satisfied you will be with your decision.

4. The less you actively try to change someone’s thinking or actions, the more likely you are to convince them that your ways are better.

5. The less time you spend on online “social” networks, the more likely you are to build authentic social connections and relationships.

6. The less someone knows about a particular topic, the more time it will take them to explain it to others.

7. The less people you try to impress, the more likely you are to actually impress someone. Start by just trying to impress yourself.

8. The less you think of money as something evil, the more of it will come to you. You have to start seeing it for what it is – a game, a way to keep score.

9. The less secure and self confident someone is, the more likely they are to bully or act aggressive towards others.

Don’t let your social conditioning blind you to what’s really going on. We humans are a fun, interesting species.

Do you know of any other such paradoxes? Put them in the comments below!