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This Article Won’t Change Your Mind

The Facts on Why Facts Alone Can’t Fight False Beliefs

Julie Beck

The Atlantic, 2017

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Why do some people stubbornly adhere to fake news stories despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary? Evolutionary history may provide some clues, writes psychology writer Julie Beck in The Atlantic. Because the survival of early humans depended on their ability to cooperate and foster strong social ties, people’s tendency to hold on to their tribes' beliefs at all costs may well have been an adaptive trait. Nevertheless, Beck cautions that Stone Age genes shouldn’t deter people from defending the truth. getAbstract recommends Beck’s article to media professionals and all those who value and seek the truth.

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“Cognitive dissonance” refers to the psychological tension humans experience when simultaneously thinking two incompatible thoughts.
When people’s beliefs link to their identity, they use logical reasoning and ignore evidence to the contrary to defend their convictions.
“Motivated reasoning” and cognitive dissonance may have been an adaptive trait that allowed early humans to foster strong social bonds.

About the Author

Julie Beck is a senior associate editor at The Atlantic, where she covers health and psychology.

This Article Won’t Change Your Mind

The Facts on Why Facts Alone Can’t Fight False Beliefs

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