THE ILLUSION OF FREEDOM:

Nothing gets our hackles up more than being told that we have no choice over something. The powerful urge we get to regain a lost or threatened freedom, even at great cost, is formally called "reactance". I call it the "Braveheart effect".

This effect is likely to kick in if we are told we must do something or that we can't do something. It can be triggered by being told our personality or gender means we will necessarily act in a certain way. Anything that makes us feel our freedom is threatened awakens powerful forces.

Anger wells up. We mentally rail against whatever or whoever threatens our freedom. What we have been pushed into tastes bitter. What we have lost smells sweeter.

We then act to restore our sense of freedom. We may do what we were told not to. If a judge tells jurors that they have no choice but to disregard inadmissible evidence, it can increase the chance they are influenced by this evidence.

We may also confound predictions. We may choose the opposite of what we are told someone of our personality type would choose, or outperform an unhelpful stereotype of what is expected of our gender.

This effect only tends to occur if we feel capable of restoring our freedom. Otherwise we rationalize our actions ("Oh, that's what I wanted to do anyway"). If the Braveheart effect occurs, its strength depends on a number of factors.

First, the more we sense an actual person is thwarting our freedom, the greater the effect is. We will experience a greater Braveheart effect if someone tells us to do something in person than if we receive the same message in written form.

Second, the effect depends on how the message restricting our freedom is phrased. The use of forceful and controlling language (should, ought, must, need), results in a greater Braveheart effect than non-controlling language (consider, can, could, may).

Third, it depends on who you are. The extent to which you experience the effect is a personality trait. Questionnaires can measure it. Some people are more disposed to experience the Braveheart effect than others.

Finally, culture plays a role. People from more individualistic cultures (such as Britain) experience a stronger Braveheart effect when their personal freedom is threatened than when their group freedom is threatened. In contrast, people from more collectivist cultures (such as China) show the opposite pattern.

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