HOW MINDS CHANGE

A combination of compelling overview and practical strategy.

Benjamin Franklin wrote that public libraries would empower the common man by giving him knowledge. Free public education, a 19th-century invention, proclaimed the same goal. In the following century, computers and, later, the internet would spread information everywhere, overwhelming the forces of censorship, propaganda, prejudice, and lies. As we all know, the opposite happened. This spread of misinformation has produced countless books about true believers who are impervious to evidence—contradictory facts actually strengthen their beliefs. In one of his examples, McRaney, author of You Are Not So Smart, examines attitudes toward same-sex marriage. At the turn of the 21st century, opposition was overwhelming; by the teens, it was crumbling; today, it’s gained fairly wide acceptance. What happened? Searching to discover why fiercely prejudiced people changed their minds, the author begins with the mind itself. Evolution designed the brain for survival, not accuracy. Making decisions from the raw data of our senses is hopelessly slow. Brains work fast and take shortcuts, so we see what we expect to see. When we encounter something that doesn’t make sense, our instinct is not to question our beliefs but to make it fit—and we almost always succeed. Only when contradictions pile up do individuals, reluctantly, reconsider. Equally important, humans are ultrasocial animals who value being accepted by their communities more than being right. Sociologist Brooke Harrington told McRaney, “Social death is more frightening than physical death.” After investigating the stories of true believers who saw the light, the author concludes by describing successful methods. With labels like “street epistemology” or “deep canvassing,” they involve building rapport; listening respectfully to a claim, however wacky; exploring the reasons behind it; and encouraging believers to judge the quality of their reasons. The goal is getting people to think about their own thinking. It doesn’t always work, but McRaney effectively shows how it has proven far more successful than focusing on facts.

Convincing advice regarding a timely issue.