In the 1950s, Solomon Asch conducted a series of deceptively simple experiments on social conformity. Participants were asked to match the length of a line to one of three comparison lines — an easy task with an obvious correct answer.

The Setup

Each real participant was seated with a group of actors (confederates) who were instructed to unanimously give the wrong answer. Would the participant conform?

The Results

• 75% of participants gave at least one wrong answer to conform with the group
• Across all trials, participants conformed to the incorrect majority about 37% of the time
• Only 25% never conformed at all

What Broke Conformity

Having even one other person give the correct answer dramatically reduced conformity — from 37% to under 6%. Social support is the most powerful antidote to group pressure.

Implications

Most people, even on questions with objectively correct answers, will deny their own perception to avoid social deviance. This underlies groupthink, organizational decision failures, and the power of dissent.

Reference:

Wikipedia: Asch Conformity Experiments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments