The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification

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Tomor koran is the author of private truths, public lies. He points out there were many politic dissidents in east germany before the berlin wall came down. Authoritarian regimes like that of north corea limit descent or eliminate descent entirely. Individuals are not allowed to form groups that have any autonomy. The state controls everything. A second measure that these regimes used is to give people the sense that they are always being watched.

We all self-censor at times. We keep quiet at dinner with our in-laws, or nod passively in a work meeting. But what happens when we take this deception a step further, and pretend we believe the opposite of what we really feel? In this favorite episode from 2020, economist and political scientist Timur Kuran explains how our personal, professional and political lives are shaped by the fear of what other people think.

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