Are we biased against other people's suggestions? Recently, I have realized that whenever my friends suggest me a movie or a tv show to watch, there is an instinctive response inside me that always tells me to not try the suggestion. I then realized that this is also true when it comes to books and music. I later told my friend this and he told me that he always has the same reaction whenever I suggest something to him. I do not think lowly of his opinions in any way and our taste has many things in common. The same thing goes for him.
Interestingly, even after we have acknowledged this reaction, it is still present whenever a suggestion is raised by either one of us.
My only guess is a sense of pride over what I like but I am not too sure. I was just wondering whether it is a common phenomenon where we are instinctively biased against others' suggestions in clearly subjected matters such as movies, books, or music genres or not. If yes, then what are the ways to minimize this reaction?
It can be caused by reactance - automatic opposite response preventing actions that threatens behavioral freedom. You can find more about reactance in:
Baron, Robert A.; et al. (2006). Social Psychology. Pearson. ISBN 9780205444120.
Roeckelein, J. E., ed. (2006). &quot;Reactance theory&quot;. Elsevier's Dictionary of Psychological Theories. Elsevier. pp. 507–508. ISBN 9780080460642.