You’re a smart gal or guy, and you know some of those strange things people may have told you about fear of vomit are just not true. But you sometimes believe them anyway. Believing untruths about your vomit phobia – or about anything – can often make any given situation worse. Yet people are still prone to believing the strangest, oddest or most outlandish things.
Don’t fret. You are certainly not alone. An eye-opening article published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest says people typically believe all kinds of weird stuff based on a flurry of questions we ask ourselves when we’re faced with the information, no matter how strange the information may seem.
These questions are outlined at PsyBlog:
“The problem is that the way people go about believing things (or not) is fundamentally weird. Few bother actually checking the facts for themselves; the majority use these mental short-cuts:
“Does it feel right? In other words does the new information square with what I already believe? For example, a Republican is more likely to accept untruths about where President Obama was born because the lie is convenient.
“Does it make sense? Things that are easy to understand are easier to believe. The mind repels complicated stuff, defending itself by saying: oh, it’s probably a lie.
“Is the source believable? People who seem authoritative, like those in positions of power, are more likely to be believed. For example, doctors can create havoc by giving bad advice in public because people tend to believe them.
“Who else believes it? People prefer to go along with the herd. Unfortunately people also have in inbuilt bias towards thinking that most other people agree with them, even if, in reality, they don’t.”
Eek! Our methods are far from scientific and even nonsensical. Check out the full summary for ways to stop believing the emetopohobia hype and all other falsities.
Read PsyBlog article at: http://www.spring.org.uk/2012/12/why-people-believe-weird-things-and-8-ways-to-change-their-minds.php
