Essentialism is the belief that members of a category share an inherent and immutable essence or core that distinguishes them from non-members (Gelman, 2003). Most people, for example, believe that living things are fundamentally different from non-living things.
In a recent study published in the journal Memory & Cognition, researchers asked participants to brainstorm new ways to use one of two common objects-a shield or an umbrella-either with or without internet access. In some trials, study participants could access Google search; in other trials, they couldn't use a search engine. Of the groups, those with access to Google, for the most part, came up with the same common answers, often in the same exact order.
Humorist Dave Barry once remarked, "If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be meetings." Most people have experienced team meetings where nobody seems to be on the same page.