This post was archived from a Google Plus post found here
This is the third episode of the three part series, which I’ve already shared here. However, I really think it is important, and it has had a powerful impact on me.
Approaching someone with an intent to change their mind without having a plan is asking for an exercise in frustration and futility. You will almost certainly do more harm than good. Familial, political, tribal and religious motivations mandate that anyone facing counterevidence to their cherished belief will find just about any reason to not have to believe it.
It’s important to have a new belief to replace the erroneous one. People prefer to work from bad information rather than no information. As soon as you provide a more compelling alternative to their belief, they will be more supported in abandoning that belief.
Persistence can be effective; enough information countervailing a false belief in the informatino diet can after time overcome the backfire effect after a tipping point.
Allowing the person a chance to reaffirm their self identity and cherished beliefs, even unrelated beliefs, can make it easier for them to accept a challenge to any belief that is normally protected.
So, if you want to convince an anti-vaxxer, maybe ask them about a time they felt good about living their religious values, and then present information about vaccinations.
Be careful, when dispelling false beliefs, that you don’t repeat the myth your’e dispelling. You should not for example say something like “you might have heard that vaccines cause autism, but actually that’s not true”. Just state your facts. Don’t talk about why the earth is not 6,000 years old, but talk about why it is 4.5 billion years old.
Anyway, that’s what I remember of the third episode, but you should really listen to all three. The first episode is about the neuroscience, what little we have in this area, that underpins this psychological hazard.