The Third Person Effect and Persuasion

4min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

In the original backfire finding that popularized the idea, it was all about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. People who supported the war in Iraq on a liberal college campus during the Bush administration were people whose Republican identity was very strong. The most recent research suggests that people don't double down and become even more convinced and incorrect information after learning they are wrong.

In 2017, YANSS did three episodes about the backfire effect, and by far, those episodes were the most popular that year. Then, in 2018, part four was the most popular.

The backfire effect has his special allure to it, because, on the surface, it seems to explain something we’ve all experienced -- when we argue with people who believe differently than us, who see the world through a different ideological lens -- they often resist our views, refuse to accept our way of seeing things, and it often seems like we do more harm than good, because they walk away seemingly more entrenched in their beliefs than before the argument began.

But…since those first three shows, researchers have produced a series new studies into the backfire effect that complicate things. Yes, we are observing something here, and yes we are calling it the backfire effect, but everything is not exactly as it seems, and so I thought we should invite these new researchers on the show and add a fourth episode to the backfire effect series based on what they’ve found. And this is that episode (again).

- Show notes at: www.youarenotsosmart.com
- Become a patron at: www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart

SPONSORS

• The Great Courses: Free month at www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/smart
• Squarespace: Use the offer code SOSMART at www.squarespace.com for 10 percent off your first purchase.

Patreon: http://patreon.com/youarenotsosmart