How to Break Free of Your Fanboyism

Unfortunately, a lot of the roots of fanboyism are embedded in human nature, so there's not really a lot you can do about them. Like biases, it's mostly about recognizing the fact that we're all prone to becoming fanboys. Doing so means you turn a blind eye to new options and you inadvertently support a brand or product that you don't actually care that much about. Couple that with the general fact that we're capable of being jerks online and you have a recipe for a vitriolic, idiotic, and hyperbolic fanboy argument every day of the week. While there's no real cure, You Are Not So Smart recommends taking a break when you find yourself getting riled up: So, the next time you reach for the mouse and get ready to launch an angry litany of reasons why your favorite—thing—is better than the other person’s, hesitate. Realize you have your irrational reasons, and so do they, and nothing will be gained by your proselytizing. Likewise, you can root out the problem from the start and break free of your brand loyalty by treating it like a bad habit and remember that upgrades aren't always necessary. It takes some work and self-reflection to really beat back your inner fanboy, but it's worth it in the end.

Choice Supportive Bias Causes You to Defend Your Choices

Those two theories explain how fanboyism starts, but the real clincher is choice supportive bias. This is our tendency to retroactively give positive attributes to the option we picked. Essentially, it's why we'll defend what we purchased without any real critical thought. Choice supportive bias is a huge player in fanboyism and you'll often go so far as to create false, positive memories about a product just to support your view. You Are Not So Smart gives this example of how choice supportive bias works: You have several options, like say for a new television. Before you make a choice you tend to compare and contrast all the different qualities of all the televisions on the market. Which is better, Samsung or Sony, plasma or lcd, 1080p or 1080i—ugh, so many variables! You eventually settle on one option, and after you make your decision you then look back and rationalize your actions by believing your television was the best of all the televisions you could have picked. We do this to combat buyer's remorse and the anxiety that comes with it. The downside is that when we start justifying our choices, we do it loudly to anyone who will listen so we don't question ourselves. Essentially, once you've made your choice, you have to defend that choice to yourself and in a lot of cases that defense seeps into your conversations. Thus is born a Nintendon't generation.

The Sunk Cost Fallacy Helps Companies Hold You Hostage

Another possible cause of fanboyism is what economists call the sunk cost fallacy. The sunk cost fallacy means you'll spend more money (and time) to salvage a purchase you've already made. We've certainly mentioned this before in context of upgrading gadgets and in finances, but it fuels fanboyism just as well. Sunk cost plays into fanboyism for a simple reason: the cost to switch from one thing to another is often obnoxiously high. You can't just jump ship from the PS3 to the Xbox and keep your library of games. You can't go from Android to Apple and use the apps you've already purchased, or the time you’ve spent learning the OS. Switching platforms involves investing in new apps, getting used to the new system, and buying new copies of software you already own. It's horrible and since you've already spent so much money on the product you have right now, the last thing you want to do is spend more money to purchase those things again. So, your brain defends your platform and you inadvertently become a fanboy.

Social Identity Theory Colors Your Worldview

None of us want to admit it, but chances are we're all fanboys of something. Whether it's a particular brand of software, gadget, or anything else, we often rally behind companies and ideologies without even realizing it. Here's why we become fanboys and how to prevent it from happening to you. By definition, a fanboy (or fangirl) is someone who defends their favorite phone/politician/city/browser/OS/game/console/genre/etc. while attacking everything else. Whether it's the blind trust in the next iPhone, a rallying argument about President Reagan, or a fervent argument for the PS4 over the Xbox One, we like to pick sides and stick to them. This alone is obnoxious, but it causes more than just minor annoyances: it means we attach ourselves to brands and can't think critically about the choices we make when shopping. As a result we waste money and buy crappy products based solely on who makes them. There's no single reason this happens, but we do know a few things about basic human nature that explains why a lot of people tend to become fanboys.

The Psychology of a Fanboy: Why You Keep Buying the Same Stuff

None of us want to admit it, but chances are we're all fanboys of something. Whether it's a particular brand of software, gadget, or anything else, we often rally behind companies and ideologies without even realizing it. Here's why we become fanboys and how to prevent it from happening to you. By definition, a fanboy (or fangirl) is someone who defends their favorite phone/politician/city/browser/OS/game/console/genre/etc. while attacking everything else. Whether it's the blind trust in the next iPhone, a rallying argument about President Reagan, or a fervent argument for the PS4 over the Xbox One, we like to pick sides and stick to them. This alone is obnoxious, but it causes more than just minor annoyances: it means we attach ourselves to brands and can't think critically about the choices we make when shopping. As a result we waste money and buy crappy products based solely on who makes them. There's no single reason this happens, but we do know a few things about basic human nature that explains why a lot of people tend to become fanboys.

Reeder 2 Brings Back iPad Compatibility, Support for Feedly, and More

iOS: Reeder has long been our favorite news reader app for the iPhone, but when Google Reader went under the app's future was a little uncertain. Now, a brand new version has hit the app store and it includes a ton of new features, including universal support for both the iPad and iPhone. This brand new version of Reeder comes packed with a bunch of new gestures for control, as well as new view modes to control what you see. It also now has support for Feed Wrangler, Feedbin, Feedly, and Fever, as well as local RSS feeds. Otherwise, it's the same great looking and powerful Reeder that it was before. This isn't a free update, so if you've previously purchased Reeder you'll need to buy it again.

Boost Language Skills and Travel Like a Local by Reading Foreign News

Local newspapers offer insights into an area's culture, which makes them great reading material before a trip. You can also use foreign language newspapers to practice learning that language. The Travel - Moments in Time blog gives us this quick tip, saying since these aren't created for tourists, you can see true locals' perspectives and also find where they're going to eat, what's happening in the area, etc. Of course, you can also watch foreign news and consume other media (stage 3 of one method of learning a new language). Consider local newspapers, though, another great resource for both travel and learning. Previously mentioned Newspaper Map makes it easy to find newspapers across the globe. Travel Tip: Read the Local Newspapers to Find Out More About a Place and Improve Your Language Skills | Travel - Moment's in Time