This is a Stagnar, a tool used for hunting.

Stagnars vary in size, from 3 to 7 inches long, but most of them are shorter than 5 inches.

They can be any color, though they're mostly red, and they last for about 10 years.

Now, imagine for yourself what a "normal" stagnar looks like?

How does that compare to your idea of an "average" stagnar?

The Stagnar is... completely fictional.

Sorry!

The tool was created as part of a study done by scientists at Yale university looking at our concept of what's "normal".

Most participants were able to estimate the average length of a stagnar pretty accurately, but when they were asked about a "normal" stagnar, they combined the average with the ideal.

And this mental process happens with all sorts of things.

Try estimating the average hours of TV Americans watch each day.

Now think of what's a "normal" amount of TV to watch.

Is the normal amount lower or higher than the average amount?

We know that too much TV is bad for us, which pulls down our idea of what's "normal".

Our whole mental concept of normal is cognitively built by incorporating the hard data we have, and the ideals we hold.

This also means that ideas of normality can vary greatly from person to person based on experience.

For example, think of the age you think is normal to first be married at.

If you live in Utah, where the average age at first marriage is about 25, your concept of what's normal is probably much lower than if you live in New York, where the average age is about 30.

Additionally, if you're currently under 30, your concept of a "normal" first marriage age is probably much higher than if you're over 65, since the average age has been steadily increasing over the last 50 years.

No matter what you think is the "ideal" age to first get married, or what age the people around you got married, your concept of normal will be affected by both your perception of what's typical and what's best.

We can also look at marijuana legalization.

As of 2015, about half of all Americans reported having tried marijuana, and one in eight admitted to doing so in the past 12 months.

Marijuana's effects haven't changed, but using, or at least trying, marijuana has become more and more typical.

This has lead to its normalization, and several states in the US passing laws legalizing and regulating it.

Politically, what's normal can be understood using what's called an Overton Window.

Current policy sits in the middle, and extreme ideas lie in the direction of both more and less freedom.

The window encompasses ideas that are considered popular, sensible, or at least acceptable, while excluding the radical and unthinkable.

As public opinion shifts, so does the Overton Window.

Understanding how our idea of normal is formed personally and socially makes political rhetoric that goes against our fundamental ideals alarming.

Think about anti-semitism leading up to World War II.

Even if a majority of people didn't hold racist ideals, the increased averageness of those sentiments, through propaganda and political rhetoric, shifted the Overton Window and the norm in an extreme way, until millions of people died and while others accepted this as normal political policy.

On the other side of this, being aware of what you consider ideal and what you consider average, and understanding how those two things contribute to what you think of as "normal", can help prevent extreme events in the future.

That understanding can help you work towards moving what's socially "normal" closer to what's personally ideal, as opposed to just moving your personal normal along with the rest of society.

It also helps you understand other people's point of view.

You might disagree on what's normal, not because you have different information, but because you have different ideals.

Knowing where your opinions differ can improve your ability to have intelligent discussions, even on heated issues.

What's something you think is normal, but definitely isn't average?

Let me know down in the comments.