Very interesting thread Zeug!

I think that it is easier to agree with everyone even if deep inside a person does not. Seems like a human trait to want to fit in somewhere .

I also found that people tend to segregate themselves based on the amount of similarities in ideology they have with others. This helps reinforce the group's beliefs.

Perhaps we too fall under the same possible affliction somewhere in our lives?

I am sure we do. Being rational and a critical thinker can have negative effect as well. Why do people go along with religion or the religious when they are not?

There is more to being human than religion alone. To get along people put aside their beliefs in order to work together in solving a problem. We also tend to wait and see if someone else figures it out. If many people agree, chances are they will go ahead even if the consequences are unknown. Or without further study.

Since believing in something is to make an investment in cognitive and temporal resources, and moreover that it's a social investment as well into the local culture, any sign that one is wrong constitutes not just a loss of investment but a social threat. If what one believes is incorrect, then one has been wasting one's time and mental resources in them. A decision comes up: switch, or stick?

Survival being the ultimate reason why anyone does anything. Beliefs are an investment which may not pay off. Study and research are investments which have more potential to pay off in benefit to the individuals and the community.

If the community used resources which are a loss due to the ideology , switching is the logical way to go.

Sticking, on the other hand, is more likely to pay off.

Sometimes. it can also end in civil war. Surely having peers and fitting in is a motivation to stick. How much loss is acceptable and when does one decide it has been enough try something else?