Cognitive Biases and Brain Biology Help Explain Why Facts Don’t Change Minds

Summary

This article by Keith M. Bellizzi, writing for UCONN, makes the following points:

• The assertion that ‘once facts are established, opinions can be formed’ may sound logical, but it is not supported by evidence.
• People form opinions based on emotions rather than facts—new facts often do not change people’s minds.
• Your worldview starts to form during childhood.
• Opinions and beliefs develop within a particular cultural context and get reinforced over time.

References

Recent Runway Posts related to this topic:

• Cognitive Biases Make Reasoning About Vaccines Difficult | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)

References from the Web:

• SEP 2020  Feelings Don’t Care About Your Facts: The Psychological Roots of Ideology—Areo  
• MAR 2021 Changing Your Mind Can Make You Less Anxious—The Atlantic
• JUN 2022 Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds—Medium  

Source Information:

• Article Source: University of Connecticut
• Media Check: UCONN Today (newsroom)
• RAAF RUNWAY: RATIONALE, GUIDELINES, LEARNING OUTCOMES, ETC | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)