This is hidden brain.
I'm Shankar Vedantam.
In the popular imagination, leaders are visionaries.
They're single minded, like Morpheus in the matrix films.
They know exactly how to rally the troops when catastrophe looms.
Tonight, let us make them remember this is Zion and we are not afraid.
Or take the wolf of Wall street, in which Leonardo DiCaprio plays a ruthless stock trader.
At one point, he gives a motivational speech to his sales team.
Are you behind on your credit card bills?
Good.
Pick up the phone and start dialing.
Is your landlord ready to evict you?
Good.
Pick up the phone and start dialing.
I want you to deal with your problems by becoming rich.
In Hollywood's imagination, leaders often have messianic vision and unshakable conviction.
I can't accomplish a goddamn thing of.
Any human meaning or worth until we cure ourselves of slavery and end this pestilential war.
Especially in the United States, we celebrate certainty and look down on those who express doubt, caution and hesitation.
This week on hidden brain, we examine the psychological origins and the unforeseen consequences of certainty.