Do we as humans naturally want to do the opposite of what were told?

Thom Yorke · 02-12-2011, 11:15 PM

I think that in most cases, no, at least not in general terms anyways. I think the main cases where you might see this is just when kids (mainly pre-teens and early teens) rebel against their parents. I remember I went through that phase of being a ****y little brat when I was like 11-12ish. Speaking personally, it was completely the establishing a reputation/peer pressure thing that was the driving force behind it. I was purposely not trying in school because that wasn't cool, I went through a rap phase, a punk phase, etc.

Also, I read an interesting stat in one of my classes this year that might pertain to this subject. In Canada, 20-24 year old males have almost 3 times the mortality rate of females. There's basically an even mortality rate at around 5 years old, then there's an upward trend reaching it's pinnacle in the early 20s, and then it swings back down, only settling at about a 3:2 ratio in the mid-40s. Many factors at play here obviously, but it's probably at least a small indicator of guys being more reckless (AKA doing what they're told not to do), especially in the teens and early 20s.

02-12-2011, 11:15 PM	#7 (permalink)
Thom Yorke Music Addict Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 1,848	I think that in most cases, no, at least not in general terms anyways. I think the main cases where you might see this is just when kids (mainly pre-teens and early teens) rebel against their parents. I remember I went through that phase of being a ****y little brat when I was like 11-12ish. Speaking personally, it was completely the establishing a reputation/peer pressure thing that was the driving force behind it. I was purposely not trying in school because that wasn't cool, I went through a rap phase, a punk phase, etc. Also, I read an interesting stat in one of my classes this year that might pertain to this subject. In Canada, 20-24 year old males have almost 3 times the mortality rate of females. There's basically an even mortality rate at around 5 years old, then there's an upward trend reaching it's pinnacle in the early 20s, and then it swings back down, only settling at about a 3:2 ratio in the mid-40s. Many factors at play here obviously, but it's probably at least a small indicator of guys being more reckless (AKA doing what they're told not to do), especially in the teens and early 20s.