Belief change is typically rare
Belief change is typically rare
It is exceptionally difficult to change a person's established beliefs, especially those that are central to their identity, worldview, or lifestyle. People are generally resistant to changing their minds, even when presented with compelling evidence that contradicts their current views.
This resistance to belief change is a fundamental aspect of human psychology. It is rooted in a variety of cognitive biases, such as:
- Confirmation Bias: The tendency to seek out and interpret information that confirms existing beliefs.
- Motivated Reasoning: The tendency to be more critical of information that contradicts our beliefs and less critical of information that supports them.
- Cognitive Dissonance: The mental discomfort experienced when holding two or more contradictory beliefs, which often leads to rejecting the new information rather than changing the existing belief.
The fact that many people underwent significant belief changes during the COVID-19 pandemic is a notable exception to this general rule, and it highlights the power of extreme circumstances to disrupt even deeply held convictions.
Tags: #psychology #cognition #belief #confirmation-bias #motivated-reasoning #cognitive-dissonance