Replacing a Load Bearing Wall

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When introducing new information or challenging someone's beliefs, it is crucial to provide a replacement or metaphor to prevent mental models from collapsing. People resist accepting new information if it threatens their existing beliefs, as shown by a study where participants continued to believe in false information even after a correction. The concept of 'replacing the leg of a table' illustrates the importance of offering a substitute when asking someone to reconsider their beliefs.

If dumping evidence into people’s laps often just makes their beliefs stronger, would we just be better off trying some other tactic, or does the truth ever win?

Do people ever come around, or are we causing more harm than good by leaning on facts instead of some other technique?

In this episode we learn from two scientists how to combat the backfire effect. One used an ingenious research method to identify the breaking point at which people stop resisting and begin accepting the fact that they might be wrong. The other literally wrote the instruction manual for avoiding the backfire effect and debunking myths using the latest psychological research into effective persuasive techniques.

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