You Are Not So Smart 093 - The Backfire Effect - Part One
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Jan 13, 2017 
In this insightful discussion, cognitive neuroscientists Jonas Kaplan and Sarah Gimbel from USC's Brain and Creativity Institute dive into the backfire effect, a phenomenon where challenging strong beliefs often reinforces them instead. They explore how cherished beliefs shape our identity, particularly in political contexts, and discuss their latest brain imaging research revealing why our brains resist changing these beliefs. By examining emotional responses and cognitive flexibility, they shed light on the psychological dynamics at play when confronting deeply held convictions.
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When Challenges Make Beliefs Stronger
- David McRaney defines the backfire effect: confronting deep convictions often strengthens them rather than weakens them.
- People may briefly soften but then rebound and deepen their original belief over the long run.
Paper Versus Plastic Example
- David McRaney uses the paper-versus-plastic checkout example to show how people update ordinary factual beliefs.
- He shows that non-core facts (like bag production impacts) are easy to revise with counter-evidence.
MRI Study Of Strong Beliefs
- Sarah Gimbel and Jonas Kaplan recruited self-identified strong liberals and measured pretested beliefs inside an MRI scanner.
- They presented each belief with five counterarguments and then measured belief-strength changes.