Breaking from the Herd

An interesting human social dynamic appears as people assess when to go along or go their own way in group situations.

"When we see other people hesitate before making a choice, that tells us they were conflicted, that they weren't entirely sure they were making the right decision," said Ian Krajbich, co-author of the study and professor of psychology and economics at The Ohio State University.

"That makes people less confident in the group consensus and frees them to make decisions based on their own information. That can help groups to escape bad outcomes."

Savvy leaders are probably unconsciously aware of this and strive to silence equivocation is the ranks to keep their group on track with their goals. Even more enlightened leaders can see equivocation in the ranks as a flag that a potential bad result of a decision is looming.