Why Do People Believe Stupid Stuff, Even When They're Confronted With the Truth?

[marmar]

AlterNet / By David McRaney

Why Do People Believe Stupid Stuff, Even When They're Confronted With the Truth?
The "backfire effect" helps explain how strange, ancient and kooky beliefs resist science, reason and reportage.

June 26, 2011 |


This story is cross-posted from You Are Not So Smart.


The Misconception: When your beliefs are challenged with facts, you alter your opinions and incorporate the new information into your thinking.

The Truth: When your deepest convictions are challenged by contradictory evidence, your beliefs get stronger.

Wired, The New York Times, Backyard Poultry Magazine – they all do it. Sometimes, they screw up and get the facts wrong. In ink or in electrons, a reputable news source takes the time to say “my bad.” If you are in the news business and want to maintain your reputation for accuracy, you publish corrections. For most topics this works just fine, but what most news organizations don’t realize is a correction can further push readers away from the facts if the issue at hand is close to the heart. In fact, those pithy blurbs hidden on a deep page in every newspaper point to one of the most powerful forces shaping the way you think, feel and decide – a behavior keeping you from accepting the truth.

In 2006, Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler at The University of Michigan and Georgia State University created fake newspaper articles about polarizing political issues. The articles were written in a way which would confirm a widespread misconception about certain ideas in American politics. As soon as a person read a fake article, researchers then handed over a true article which corrected the first. For instance, one article suggested the United States found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The next said the U.S. never found them, which was the truth. Those opposed to the war or who had strong liberal leanings tended to disagree with the original article and accept the second. Those who supported the war and leaned more toward the conservative camp tended to agree with the first article and strongly disagree with the second. These reactions shouldn’t surprise you. What should give you pause though is how conservatives felt about the correction. After reading that there were no WMDs, they reported being even more certain than before there actually were WMDs and their original beliefs were correct. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/media/151426/why_do_people_believe_stupid_stuff%2C_even_when_they%27re_confronted_with_the_truth/

[valerief]

1. Minute/damaged ACCs. nt

[Zoeisright]

2. I find that fascinating. It sure explains a lot.

Of course, I think that logical reasoning should be taught in school starting in kindergarten. It just might help.

[rpannier]

3. They turned on Hannity and both Sean and Ricky Satanorum

told them they were found.
I mean who are you going to believe the United States Military, US Intelligence, US inspectors that are there or "Dumbest and Dumbester"?

[iemitsu]

4. this is called cognitive dissonance.

it is not newly discovered.

[d_r]

5. that article is BS

spanking children under seven produces immediate compliance but long term non-compliance.

[provis99]

8. well, you just singlehandedly confirmed their conclusions, didn't you?

Ironically though, they regurgitated a falsehood about Clinton. Clinton did not in fact lie under oath.

[d_r]

13. well I was trying to make a joke with the subject line

but I am serious about the statement that I made. They only put in 1/2 the story there.

[cilla4progress]

6. Brainwashing.

Plain and simple. Ever been in a fundie church?

[awoke_in_2003]

7. why do they believe you can feed 5000

on a loaf of bread and two fish, or that all animals lived within walking distance of Noah? If you can believe the outstandingly incredible, the rest is child's play.

[bemildred]

9. The truth is scary, fear makes you stupid.

So do hate and anger and lust.

[Fuddnik]

10. If they can get you to believe absurdities, they can get you to commit atrocities.

Voltaire.

[mike_c]

11. this thread SO needed a quote from...

...Voltaire. :thumbsup:

[trekbiker]

12. probably why only 6% of scientists are repugs

Kind of hard to be an effective scientist if you are afflicted with severe cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias

[NothingRight]

14. It would be funny if it weren't true

This is the battle we face. I am always shocked when you try to share logic and reason with one of the Fox surrogates and they simply won't hear the truth, regardless of where it comes from. Unless the sheep at The Heritage Foundation spew it forth, no statistics can be regarded as fact.

A friend told me yesterday that all we can do is keeping fighting the fight. When this is what you fight, there are days it is pretty challenging.

[bertman]

15. It's called 'the human condition'. REC. nt