Jumping to Conclusions

(This blog was originally posted on August 7, 2014)

Photo courtesy of Fotolia

Children are cautioned to not jump to any conclusions about what they might have seen or heard on the playground because it might not be accurate or true. Scientists must follow specific research guidelines when they conduct an experiment to ensure that what they observe in the lab is a legitimate result and not a fluke produced by confounding data. Criminal investigators are also expected to follow a protocol when they collect clues so they can correctly deduce not only who committed a crime but also know when and how it was done. Without this information, there can be no case to prosecute; and if the evidence is incorrect or prejudiced, the mystery will not be solved. Despite these warnings, it can be very hard to resist the temptation to fill in the blanks and provide some kind of answer to an unusual situation, even if our explanation is equally likely to be wrong. 

Two stories have been featured in the news recently that likely fall into the category of erroneous conclusions versus actual fact. Around this time last year (2014), speculation was rife that the Duchess of Cambridge might be pregnant with her second child really amped up a couple of days ago when some photographs were released that showed Kate clutching a handbag in front of her abdomen. The fact that she and Prince William were apparently planning to stay at their new home that month only added fuel to people’s new-baby theory. Why else would they stay home, right? Then, just a few weeks ago the rumor mills were at it again: having just given birth to Princess Charlotte in early May of this year, the Duchess has seemingly “disappeared” from public view. Apparently, she even missed attending a friend’s nuptials, sending her younger sister to the event as Prince William’s plus-one on the invitation. Could her absence mean she is suffering from acute morning sickness again? the tabloid headlines scream.¹

In the second story, a security camera recently filmed a grainy image of a large cat- or dog-like animal was prowling a neighborhood in Norwalk, California.² Local residents and wildlife experts have pitched different explanations for the creature: it’s a cougar; no it’s a large dog; uh-uh, it’s an African lion that escaped from the zoo, and so on. Television viewers and social media are also discussing a possible identity of the mystery animal; I have even heard speculations about it being a cross between a large dog and a mountain lion (unlikely). Having said that, at the time I wrote that blog no one had identified the animal. One biologist speculated that it could even be an African lion, which someone is keeping illegally as an exotic pet. Then, on July 22, 2015 reports surfaced that a large cat—also possibly an African lion—was prowling the neighborhood streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.³ Human mythology is rife with tales about mysterious creatures of the night. It is fun to imagine what this one is and how it got here. We ultimately may learn that it is just a very large dog that jumped out of its yard, or a mountain lion that came down from wherever to scavenge for food and water. However, the grainy quality of the surveillance video combined with the eerie night lighting and the ambiguous form prowling around a peaceful neighborhood set our imaginations into overdrive. The fact that no one knew what it was gave us license to imagine what it could be.

I am fascinated with these stories not because of their content, but how people react and respond to them. I am interested in which message units and subconscious knowns these news reports trigger in us that we want to look for reasons, information and explanations to support our beliefs about what is really going on in these situations. Not knowing something or not having a believable explanation is uncomfortable, even painful. As John Kappas, Ph.D. explained in his Theory of Mind, the subconscious mind will default to a story or mental script that it already knows and is comfortable with to avoid the discomfort of not knowing, said the Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder. This is true even when the conscious mind also doubts that this script is accurate. The mindset seems to be, “Well, that’s our story, and we’re sticking to it,” regardless of the facts. “The truth is out there,” as they used to say in The X-Files. Well, it’s out there somewhere.

Stay tuned…

1. Where Is Kate Middleton? http://www.eonline.com/news/687906/where-is-kate-middleton-on-the-trail-of-the-missing-royal-wedding-guest

2. Big Cat Prowling Streets of Norwalk, CA: http://blogs.discovery.com/animal_oddities/2014/08/is-an-african-lion-roaming-the-city-streets.html

3. Big Cat Prowling Streets of Milwaukee, WI: www.foxnews.com/us/2015/07/23/milwaukee...report-lion-roaming-streets

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2015