Plant this in your bone marrow, or be doomed forever: How facts backfire
Recently, a few political scientists have begun to discover a human tendency deeply discouraging to anyone with faith in the power of information. It’s this: Facts don’t necessarily have the power to change our minds. In fact, quite the opposite. In a series of studies in 2005 and 2006, researchers at the University of Michigan found that when misinformed people, particularly political partisans, were exposed to corrected facts in news stories, they rarely changed their minds. In fact, they often became even more strongly set in their beliefs. Facts, they found, were not curing misinformation. Like an underpowered antibiotic, facts could actually make misinformation even stronger.
This story from the Boston Globe -- special thanks to Garr Reynolds for the retweeted pointer -- pushed the "Play" button on a little video in the back of my mind:
(me): This is so incredibly infuriating! Aaaargh...(trailing off into incoherent snarls)
(my wife, looking up from munching on an apple)...So?
(me): This! This is...aaarghgnash!!!
(my wife, rolling her eyes): Use your words.
(me): Says so right here! Facts, clearly presented and reasoned, often make NO DIFFERENCE in changing people's minds! Just the opposite, in fact, among the most smug, sure of themselves idjits out there! Contradicting, irrefutable facts even make them MORE sure they're right!
(my wife): ...So?
(me, exhaling): I'm working on developing change techniques, to help change patient behaviors, fellow doctor behaviors, and organizational behaviors. I KNOW that telling folks "the facts" isn't very effective, but still! Hey, where are you going?
(my wife, walking away): This is boring.
She's absolutely right. Even though the conversation is imaginary, we've had some version of it any number of times:
- People aren't mostly rational.
- Other people don't have to play by your rules.
- A few "select" folk actually thrive by acting irrationally, twisting you up in your own reason, and quite happily letting you abide by your funny rules and then folding their hands -- or worse -- when it's "their turn."
And the biggie:
- None of this should be news.
Folks are folks.
Insanity isn't doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome, it's expecting people to behave the way you think they should, instead of how they actually do.
In the personal realm, this means accepting that you told yourself you were going to cut out the salt and late night snacks -- then just did both anyway.
In the professional realm, this means accepting that you can tell patients what is so clearly true, and they'll wander away into the night doing their own thing anyway.
In the organizational realm, this means accepting that telling colleagues how such-and-such will save them money, get them home earlier, and protect them from harm will actually budge their routines very, very little.
You know that kumbaya piece of advice that flits around the Internet periodically -- It All Begins with you learning to accept and love yourself? Sounds like fluffy hamster cage lining?
If you reject the most fundamental proposition of mathematics, history, and human behavior, you are screwed, screwed, screwed.
a = a, "Religion will drive irreligion to the wall," and folks believe more than they think, and will change the facts before they change their beliefs.
Now, let us please move on.
