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Why It’s So Difficult to Change Minds with Facts Even When Lies Are Exposed
The current US political campaign and wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have clearly shown that real facts rarely cause people to change their minds or opinions once formed.
In a post-truth world of alternative facts, there is understandable interest in the psychology behind why people are generally so wedded to their opinions and why it is so difficult to change minds.
We already know a lot about the deliberate mental processes that people engage in to protect their worldview, from seeking out confirmatory evidence (the “confirmation bias“) to questioning the methods used to marshal contradictory evidence (the scientific impotence excuse).
“Facts First” is the tagline of a CNN branding campaign that contends that “once facts are established, opinions can be formed.” The problem is that while it sounds logical, this appealing assertion is a fallacy not supported by research.
Cognitive psychology and neuroscience studies have found that the exact opposite is often true when it comes to politics: People form opinions based on emotions, such as fear, contempt, and anger, rather than relying on facts. New facts often do not change people’s minds.
