Reinforcing people’s autonomy is an invaluable approach for overcoming biased thinking, rigid attitudes, and defensiveness. Whenever people feel that their autonomy is respected and that they are free to do as they want, they are less likely to experience reactance and show resistance. Conversely, people resist any attempts to change their minds whenever they feel … Read more
One major mistake we often make when trying to debunk some false ideas or refute outright lies is repeating the falsehood. The more people are exposed to a certain idea, piece of information, or other stimulus, the more positive attitudes they are likely to develop toward it and be influenced by it, even if it … Read more
Self-Affirmation Technique in a Nutshell Self-affirmation technique is invaluable when dealing with political bias, indoctrination, or issues requiring open-mindedness. It’s particularly effective when people show ego-defensiveness about their beliefs. The basic idea behind the self-affirmation technique is that before you challenge any of your audience’s strong attitudes and deep-rooted beliefs that will provoke their ego-defensiveness, … Read more
One way that misinformation and disinformation often gains hold is through photos and other visuals. Accordingly, attempts to debunk misinformation should preferably also use visuals as a corrective. There is a reason why photos and other visuals work both as a means of misinformation and as a means of countering it — visuals are essentially … Read more
When you’re refuting misinformation or when you’re trying to counter biased thinking and indoctrination, you normally want people to think carefully and deeply about your reasons. To increase chances of that, avoid occasions when people feel powerful because feelings of power reduce careful thinking and decrease chances that people will be persuaded by strong arguments. … Read more
Causal arguments are one of the more effective approaches that we can use when we want to change false beliefs, ingrained but biased views, or when debunking all sorts of misinformation. Causal arguments inform us about the underlying mechanisms and explain why something happens. They are persuasive because they target one of our fundamental needs … Read more
Unexpectedness can enhance overall persuasiveness of your ideas and arguments. But it is in particular very useful when you want to overcome biased views or more ingrained attitudes and stereotypes. Anwar Sadat’s Unexpected Move in Egyptian Israeli Peace Talks One example of how unexpectedness can help comes from the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty negotiations. Israel considered … Read more
When you’re trying to debunk some false claim or persuasively refute a particular argument, you’ll be more effective if you don’t present your evidence all at once. Instead, try to do it more gradually. A 2011 study found that people find evidence to be stronger when it is presented one at a time. The researchers, … Read more
Whenever you want to counter the indoctrinated thinking and rigid beliefs, try to find an antithetical character to support your position. For example, in an anti-smoking campaign, recruit a heavy-smoker favoring smoking restrictions or a tobacco sales tax increase. In an anti-war campaign, a former (or even better a current) military officer opposing a war … Read more
When refuting manipulative arguments or debunking false beliefs, it is best to avoid using weakly favorable reasons. As an illustration, consider two passages used in a 2011 study titled “When Good Evidence Goes Bad: The Weak Evidence Effect in Judgment and Decision-Making.” Participants read one of these passages: Widespread use of hybrid and electric cars … Read more