I'm Right, You're Wrong

Hidden Brain

Hidden Brain Media

Social Sciences, Arts, Performing Arts, Science

4.6 • 42.6K Ratings

🗓️ 26 December 2017

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There are some topics about which it seems no amount of data will change people's minds: things like climate change, or restrictions on gun ownership. Neuroscientist Tali Sharot says that's actually for good reason. As a general rule, she says, it's better to stick to your beliefs and disregard new information that contradicts them. But this also means it's very difficult to change false beliefs. In this favorite episode from earlier this year, we look at how we process information, and why it's so hard to change our views.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there Shankar here. As we reach the end of 2017, there are four words you almost
0:06.4	never hear, whether that's from people in the news or from friends and family.
0:11.2	You're right, I'm wrong. We don't hear those words and we don't
0:15.5	say those words because we all have elaborate mental defenses to keep threatening ideas
0:20.9	at bay. These psychological defenses can give us a short term boost even as they expose
0:26.4	us to long-term risks. We're taking a bit of time off this week so we thought we'd
0:31.2	share a conversation from March with the neuroscientist Talley Sharot. We found this episode helped
0:36.1	us understand why it's so hard to listen to ideas that challenge our beliefs. It also gave
0:41.6	us some techniques to help us see the world with fewer biases and preconceptions. As you
0:47.2	gather with friends and family to celebrate the New Year, we hope you'll find it useful
0:51.3	too. This is Hidden Brain, I'm Shankar Vedanthu. There are certain issues where we just don't
1:02.6	see eye to eye with people on the other side of the political aisle. Often it feels like
1:08.0	we don't just disagree over policy, we can't even agree on the facts. I think people
1:13.1	are mostly just setting their ways. I would say I'm right objectively, the facts prove
1:18.6	that there is global warming. I don't know how you can dispute it. But everybody thinks
1:22.8	they're right. I think they're wrong. I think they're making a huge mistake because security
1:27.9	has to be a very big issue. My guest today has spent years studying the way we process information
1:34.1	and why we often reach biased conclusions. She says it's surprisingly difficult for us
1:39.2	to change one another's minds no matter how much data we present. But just a little
1:44.2	bit of emotion, that can go a long way.
1:56.6	Tali Sharot is a cognitive neuroscientist at University College London. In her upcoming
2:00.9	book, The Influential Mind, she explores how our minds work, why we ignore the facts,
	...

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