The Science of Social Pressure

Scientific America | Krystal D'Costa

By now you’ve undoubtedly heard that Facebook allows people to share their organ donor status. A friend of mine adjusted her information on the day of the announcement to reflect her donor status and someone quipped, “What did you donate?” Snark potential aside, it’s a wonderful way to bring the donor community together and to raise awareness about organ donation overall. With over 100,000 people waiting for an organ donation and only 14,144 organ transplants in 2011, the prospects look grim for many—which has unfortunately driven a robust black market trade in body parts.

There is much to consider here regarding ownership and ethics. But there is also something to be said about social pressure, too. A 2010 survey (1) conducted by Donate Life America revealed the following reasons why people might not consider becoming an organ donor:

52% of respondents were open to the idea that doctors may not try as hard to save their lives if their wish to be organ donors is known

61% are open to the idea that it is possible for a brain dead person to recover from his or her injuries

8% believe that organ or tissue donation is against their religion

These beliefs are unfounded:

Read more: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/2012/05/05/the-science-of-social-pressure/