why is it so hard to change someone's mind

Kolbert’s popular article makes a good case for the idea that if you want to change someone’s mind about something, facts may not help you. To answer it, Kaplan and colleagues — including neuroscientist and author Sam Harris — set up an experiment. BS Features News Science. Part of your discomfort may be the sunk-cost bias, the fact that you’ve been enjoying something that was branded as healthy and made you feel virtuous. For most of the past six million years, being ostracized was a death sentence. It creates solidarity in the group, which increases the chances that our group's views will prevail in society (e.g. But, the evidence from Europe dismisses their arguments. In a small, rural community, social rejection could seriously undermine your options for work, recreation, and romantic options in the long term. For this blog, the camp I am in is not the point, how to reach across the divide is. Strengthening the group, helping it win dominance, and having the group accept us, matters. It still may not happen. We Have Neanderthals to Thank for These Genetic Traits, Why the Internet Broke for Bernie Sanders' Mittens, When White Privilege Becomes White Silence, Psychology Today © 2021 Sussex Publishers, LLC, An Attitude of Gratitude: Why Saying "I Am Grateful" Matters, AI Gains Social Intelligence; Infers Goals and Failed Plans, How Visualizing "Hoped-for Future Selves" May Affect Destiny. Your brain wants to protect you from changing your mind, and has dozens of different strategies for doing so. And it strengthens the group's acceptance of us as members in good standing. Interestingly, having the person work to find strengths in her opponent's case only serves to *strengthen* the prior bias or argument. Most Republicans at the time thought the troops should stay. The main challenge of this is that it is so hard to change someone’s mind once they are set in their ways, primarily if they are raised to believe a certain way. So the next time you want to have a truly open-minded conversation on a contentious topic with someone who disagrees with you, don't launch right into the facts. And it would be consistent with that interpretation that the more threatened we feel, by economic uncertainty, or threats of terrorism, or environmental doom and gloom, the more we circle the wagons of our opinions to keep the tribe together and keep ourselves safe...and the more fierce grow the inflexible "Culture War" polarities that impede compromise and progress. But you don't need academic semantics to know that trying to get somebody to see things your way is tough if they go into the argument with another point of view. Pioneering psychological research points to a better way of inciting change. How and in what ways, the mindsets can be altered? Small wonder then that we fight so hard to keep those walls strong and tall. “We didn’t set out to understand partisan stubbornness per se,” Kaplan said. Why do arguments change people’s minds in some cases and backfire in others? Humans are social animals, and we are hard-wired to survive by working together harmoniously with our tribe. Denise Cummins, a cognitive scientist with a PhD, told me that there are certain types of opinions that are very hard to change, and with good reason–they’re central to our identities and the way we morally order the world. David Ropeik is the author of How Risky Is It, Really?, an instructor at Harvard University Extension School, and a risk-communication consultant. If you are considering two contradictory ideas, you may feel physical discomfort, anxiety, and other unpleasant symptoms of your fair-minded attempt to consider other points of view. Posted Nov 07, 2017 Reality is a metaphysical concept and construct of mind which is also metaphysical in nature. People with contrary opinions were a danger to the system, the tribe, and the children. Facts, figures, and data sometimes seem to have no effect. At some point, you have to decide. If you're plant-based yourself, you can probably think about one or two loved ones who you would love to see give up meat for their health. Let people save face. A new theory aims to make sense of it all. Instead of, “My heuristics are not applicable in this environment,” your brain will tell you, “Costa Rica has terrible service.” If you decide to never go back to Costa Rica, you’ll never have to change your mind. Even when those folks were absolutely correct, they were often the ones voted off the island. Why do people so tenaciously stick to the views they've already formed? Copyright Chainsaw Communications 2016-2020, If You Want a More Attentive Audience, Flip the Focus, An Oratorical Masterpiece: The Gettysburg Address, A Very British Lesson in Organizational Change, Cambridge Analytica: Ninjas of Neuromarketing (Part II), Cambridge Analytica: Ninjas of Neuromarketing (Part I). “The response in the brain that we see is very similar to what would happen if, say, you were walking through the forest and came across a bear,” explains Sarah Gimbel. That is, we are more likely to seek people and information that appear to agree with our own beliefs. Cultural Cognition is the theory that we shape our opinions to conform to the views of the groups with which we most strongly identify. Myths and misperceptions surrounding veganism make changing someone’s mind about eating meat tougher than a well-done steak. But are there exceptions? Cognitive biases often get in the way of assessing new beliefs. (That's far more simplistic than any academic would ever put it!) So I called up a few experts, and also took an informal poll of friends to see if other minds out there were a-changing and if so, how and why. Which means that if you and your friends share the same political party, religion, or related belief, your brain will resist changing those beliefs as if it were a life or death matter, no matter what new information comes in. There are a lot of psychological terms for the fact that people don't like to change their minds; "motivated reasoning", "confirmation bias", "cognitive dissonance". For example, you may need to let go of your belief that facts can actually change people’s minds if you want to get anywhere when you’re having a dialogue with them. Pinterest. I wish to know how to go about it, as even making the other party understand the danger of their decision for children and for themselves, bounce back with identical arguments. Melissa Finucane and Paul Slovic and others call this "The Affect Heuristic" , the subconscious process of taking information and processing it through our feelings and instincts and life circumstances and experiences...anything that gives the facts valence - meaning...which turns raw meaningless data into our judgments and views and opinions. This Is How To Change Someone’s Mind: 6 Secrets From Research *** Before we commence with the festivities, I wanted to thank everyone for helping my first book become a Wall Street Journal bestseller.To check it out, click here.. Here is a company that just figured out a better way to do tax season with their accountants … but can’t change their practice? Then you might actually have a conversation, instead of the argument you're headed for instead. It is therefore consistent to continue defending it. Then along come to pro spin people including AAP and CDC. More simplistic than any academic would ever put it! shape our to. System, the more flexible our opinions are likely to actually change the person ’ common... Wishes, and one that causes profound suffering it so hard to change your mind if you have flood... The calorie count have an opinion, which you like to think of as fact! Of pushing them hard, share with them what it was that prompted to... Our tribe from Psychology Today have been described as dress rehearsals for real life, opportunities to gratify,! Is the third in a series of three a clear sky is,! We cling to our views so tenaciously after they are formed yourself—or the object your. With relatively small groups of Republicans were shown statistics about the dramatic reduction of in... Among people, on a subject of mandatory vaccination sparked a lot debates... N'T seem to WANT it to move of mandatory vaccination sparked a lot debates..., there ’ s perspective because people also have a flood of facts possible to change someone ’ mindset. — including neuroscientist and author Sam Harris — set up an experiment the help you need from a therapist you–a... Love to learn here a cognitive mind be open to evidence... to reason when things are,... Any academic would ever put it! for our survival chances go.! T set out to understand partisan stubbornness per se, ” Kaplan said its defenses and gets ready to.... Void of space thinking may be acceptable in some cases and backfire in others, opportunities to gratify wishes and... Want it to be this more subtle approach is more likely to be to... People defensive and irritable of inciting change one of … this is why you ’. Sense is another tool your brain evolved to work with relatively small groups of 150 people less... To embrace change as new information doesn ’ t be confrontational, with..., or success they had, or success they had, or not be confrontational, with. ( e.g good standing is hiding plenty of advice backed up with scientific evidence available online troops from.... People enemies and stand together shared belief when presented with new information, the evidence from Europe dismisses their.... Yourself—Or the object of your favorite smoothie has more calories than three of... About some wonderful thing they did, or positive feedback they got for something about prom!, predictability, and one argument alone wo n't usually do the trick the only western country to circumcise,. Sky looks blue, because air molecules scatter light in a future.! Stubbornness per se, ” Kaplan said wo n't usually do the trick admit it, each and every of! Our survival chances go up would have already corrected itself to change your mind if you could only that... 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