In 1967, Jones and Harris had people read essays either praising or attacking Fidel Castro. Readers were told the writer hadn't chosen a side; the position had been assigned. They still concluded the pro-Castro writer genuinely liked him. We overweight personality and underweight circumstances, a habit so pervasive it's called the fundamental attribution error.
Remembering is not replaying a recording — it is rebuilding. Each time you recall a memory, it becomes temporarily malleable and can be altered before being stored again. That is why two people can sincerely remember the same event… differently.
In 2003, Johnson and Goldstein compared European countries. Where you must tick a box to become a donor, consent rates ranged from 4% to 28%. Where you're a donor by default unless you opt out, they topped 85%. People aren't more generous on one side; most simply stick with whatever option was chosen for them.