Mm.

B. Oh.

Oh. Welcome to the You Are Not So Smart Podcast, episode 93. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, and do me. This episode is the first of three shows about something called The Backfire Effect, a well documented and much studied psychological phenomenon that

you've likely encountered quite a bit lately.

Simply put, when your deepest convictions are challenged by contradictory evidence, your beliefs

tend to get stronger, not weaker.

And the research shows that when your strongest beliefs are challenged, yes, you might experience

some temporary weakening of your convictions, some softening of your certainty, but most people

rebound from that, and not only reassert their original belief at its original

strength, but go beyond that and dig in their heels, deepening their resolve over the long

run.

Now we're going to explore this in three ways.

First, in this episode, what we know about the neurological

underpinnings of this phenomenon.

Then we will spend time with the scientists who named the

backfire effect and continue to study it. Then in our third episode we will

speak with scientists who are now studying how to avoid, prevent, and combat it.

So, to get this episode about the brain and belief started, I'd like you to consider a question.

Paper or plastic.

If you live in the United States, it's very likely that you've been asked at the

checkout of a convenience store, a grocery store, or some kind of store, whether you would

prefer plastic bags or paper bags to put your stuff in.

...