“Women Can’t Park, Men Can’t Pack: The Psychology of Stereotypes” is a book by Geoff Rolls that investigates the psychology behind why we have certain beliefs about groups of people (blondes are dumb, left-handed people are artistic) and whether there is any statistical or scientific basis to the stereotype. The thing I find most fascinating about a book like this, which is sort of a Snopes.com for prejudice rather than for urban legends, is whether the book can even be successful at what it wants to do. Presumably, he wants to disabuse people of wrong prejudices and give them confidence in the ones that may contain truth. But it may be that a book just doesn’t have enough social power to do this, partially for how few people are likely to read it, but also for the psychology of how we remember things. Everyone having read the book will likely remember it dealt with blonde intelligence, but they are far less likely to remember the particular conclusion on that one. Trying to debunk something often actually raises credence in it only because of the weird ways our brains work. We can remember the stereotype (easily) and the fact that some expert analyzed it (less easily), but can we remember the analysis or conclusions that might upset or affirm it? I’m not so sure. Even denial can be a form of affirmation sometimes.
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