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Key points
- Believing the world is fair can make us happier, but at the cost of empathy and compassion.
- The comforting effects of just world beliefs can distract us from meaningful change.
- Losing belief in a just world is a lonely, yet crucial, path toward a more equitable society.
Imagine you witnessed two young boys stealing ripe red apples from a local farmer’s orchard. You noticed the farmer becoming aware of the theft and starting to chase the boys. One of the children was caught by the angry farmer and berated, while the faster boy managed to escape. As you watched, the escaping boy dashed across a stream and slipped on a wet log, resulting in a severe cut on his leg.
Why did the boy cut his leg? The answer seems obvious, right? Because the log was slippery.
Yet, when Jean Piaget asked a version of this question to young children, many of them said it was because the boy stole from the farmer. Piaget labeled this immanent justice, a belief that punishment should automatically follow bad behavior. Young children may interpret misfortune as if it were some kind of punishment from God or the universe.
Immanent justice is similar to what social psychologists call a belief in a just world (BJW)—believing that people ultimately get what they deserve. While common in young children, a BJW is also prominent in religious and conservative communities. Researchers have found statistically significant positive correlations between participants’ reported level of religiosity and their endorsement of just-world statements such as, “In the long run people will be compensated for injustices,” and “Justice always prevails over injustice.”
The Costs and Benefits of a Belief in a Just World
Such beliefs, ingrained from childhood, shape our perceptions and responses to injustice. Melvin J. Lerner described a BJW as a “fundamental delusion.” He argued that this belief allows people to deal with witnessed or experienced injustice, helplessness, and insecurity. A BJW is essential for individuals to perceive the world as a predictable and manageable place. Typically, a BJW serves an adaptive function, especially when one believes the world is fair to them specifically.
However, it can also have a dark side when we staunchly believe the world is fair to others. According to the researchers, people with a BJW are more likely to endorse hierarchal societies. If people get what they deserve, then marginalized groups must have done something to deserve their fate. Hence, this belief can lead to inaction, or in some cases, to actively blame and derogate real victims. For example, researchers asked participants to read a vignette about a man named Jason committing sexual assault. They found that religious people were more likely to endorse victim-blaming statements such as, “[The victim] should have known better.”
I grew up in a religious community where messages of God rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked abound. As a family, we watched news stories of natural disasters, wondering what those people had done to deserve such a disaster. A BJW was reinforced through the conservative news and talk radio buzzing in our household. For example, Bill O’Reilly’s commentary1 following Hurricane Katrina suggested that the victims could have avoided disaster if they had just been more educated and worked harder. I took comfort in thinking I could be smarter and avoid tragedy in the future.
But, as I matured, I came to understand that the universe is not always fair. This was especially poignant when I began teaching as a young adjunct professor. One student confided in me that she had been raped at her previous school and ultimately transferred because of how the administration had handled it. Instead of seeking justice for her, they sought to discredit her story by questioning her role in the assault such as, “What were you wearing?” I was heartbroken for her. I knew she did not deserve to be treated that way and came to understand how international students like her were especially vulnerable to injustice.
This explains why some theorists argue that while those with a BJW report having higher levels of life satisfaction, this satisfaction is superficial. BJW can help believers endure the chaotic nature of an unpredictable world, but it may “fail to promote genuine happiness because [the believers] do nothing to change an oppressive situation.”
Meaning vs Happiness
This begs the question, is happiness the goal? Happiness for who exactly? Had I clung to my belief that people get what they deserve, I, too, could have quickly dismissed my student’s account to protect my worldview. Assuming a victim somehow deserved their plight is often easier than feeling their pain with them. After all, feeling another’s pain can lead to empathic distress, which can cause one to turn away from suffering for their own emotional comfort.
As behavioral economist Dan Ariely has pointed out, there is a distinction between experiencing happiness and experiencing meaning. Ariely was badly burned in his youth. Years later, he was asked to give assurance to a teenage boy who had also burned much of his body in a car accident. Ariely was faced with a decision. Should he talk with the boy and be reminded of some of the most horrific parts of his life? Or should he say no and justify it in some way such as by assuming the teen should have paid better attention on the road?
The latter likely would have made Ariely happier. In fact, he described experiencing intense distress when he visited the boy in the hospital and reflected on his past traumatic experiences. Yet Ariely chose to anyway because it was meaningful (rather than joyful). He stated,
I achieved a complex but unique emotional lift that stemmed from shared pain. I became motivated by a feeling of identification and empathy for them. I felt that my own suffering had not been pointless. And that I could do something to help other human beings—something that I’m uniquely qualified to do.
I’m grateful my student felt safe enough to confide in me after being discounted by so many. I sometimes yearn to have that childlike understanding of the world back, where people always get what they deserve. Yet, I’m also incredibly grateful for the empathy I have developed for others that I wouldn’t otherwise have. When we loosen our tightly fisted grip on a BJW, we can allow more compassion for those in poverty; victims of abuse, assault, or discrimination; or those struggling with mental illness.
Accepting that people often do not get what they deserve can be a lonely and miserable path. Yet it is a vital one if we are to create a more joyous world for those from every walk of life.
Read an extended version of this article here.
References
1. “The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina should be taught in every American school. If you don’t get educated, if you don’t develop a skill and force yourself to work hard, you’ll most likely be poor and sooner or later you’ll be waiting on a symbolic rooftop waiting for help, and chances are that it won’t be forthcoming.” (As quoted by John Jost, p. 57)
