Hey there!
Have you ever had a conversation where scientific facts just weren't enough to change someone's mind? Most of us have probably been there at some point – especially those of us in the medical profession who see this come up again and again in relation to a wide variety of health topics.
In this month's deep dive, Kristin puts her background in cognitive neuroscience and social psychology to work to explore the most effective ways to actually get through to people in these conversations. Keep reading for some insights that could make all the difference!
-The Glaucomfleckens
The Science Of Changing Minds
As somebody who's married to a physician, I’ve realized that all it takes for you all to be convinced that something is true – and frankly, for me too – is the science behind it.
Something you might not have known about me: I really like brains. I have two degrees in psychology, specializing in cognitive neuroscience, and I spent a decade working in marketing and communications before taking on my current role as a healthcare comms strategist, writer, and speaker. I bring this up because those experiences have given me one very important insight into how non-medical people digest medical information: facts aren’t always sufficient.
Why do you think that reasonable, intelligent people disagree with evidence-based facts, and believe medical misinformation they’ve been exposed to, online or elsewhere?
(For the record, we all know that even doctors have their own beliefs that persist despite the facts. Woe be upon ye who dares to say the word “quiet” during a shift.)
Let's use the wave of wellness influencers hawking “detoxes” and supplements online as an example. When you hear someone espousing the efficacy of these products – be it a patient or someone you know personally – your first instinct might be to just… explain the science. You don’t need detox supplements for dinner. We have a liver and kidneys at home.
There's no clinical evidence that these products work. The way the supplement industry uses the term "detox" doesn't even correspond to any defined physiological process. These are all true facts. But reasonable people still buy these products all the time. Why?
As we move into our professional expertise, we forget what it was like to not know everything we’ve learned. So, for those of you who work in medicine, the idea that your liver and your kidneys are detoxing for you all the time is a basic one. It’s easy to forget that it’s not basic knowledge for a lot of the population, regardless of how intelligent they may be. So, the first thing we need to understand is that the wrong belief has its own internal logic.
Maybe the person you’re talking to has been feeling lousy, and their opportunity to interface with medical professionals is limited – whether their doctor is scrambling to get to everything in a severely limited amount of time, or they can’t access care at all. Maybe someone they know and trust has taken a supplement and felt better. Or maybe the detox itself even makes intuitive sense to someone without a specialized medical education. Alcohol-toxic-for-liver, flush-liver-with-detox… right? It can add up when you have no reason to believe otherwise.
People with these beliefs aren’t latching onto something randomly. Their beliefs stem from (and are strengthened by) the sense that they make to their logical mind. So, a conversation that begins by addressing that logic is fundamentally different from one where you drop the science only for it to sink like a brick.
A lot of these conversations can get really tough when you trigger someone’s defenses. Research on social identity shows that people whose identities cluster tightly together are going to have the hardest time with this. Let me explain.
We all have different versions of ourselves – who we are at work, vs who we are among friends, and the like. These can overlap with our different group identities, too. A person’s friend group might share the same politics, the same health philosophy, etc. And in the research, we see that those whose different identities are most tightly bound together tend to be the most defensive and the least open to hearing other perspectives (regardless of their factual accuracy).
Why? Because even a seemingly small threat to their identity can cascade across their entire self-concept. This is identity protective cognition at work: the idea that we evaluate evidence based on whether it confirms or threatens our group identities. In other words, you're not just telling someone that their belief is false. You're telling them: “If you believe this is indeed false, you can no longer belong to the group that says it’s true.”
Of course, they’re not having these thoughts actively or consciously. But you can see why it might register emotionally as a threat to disentangle their whole social system. Often, without even realizing it, this is how we end up weighing information against how much acting on it might threaten our in-group status.
So, how do you break through that very real wall? It starts with activating other identities the person holds, especially those that aren’t so tightly bound to politics.
When you're having a conversation with someone, identify with them on some level that is farther removed from polarization. Maybe they’re someone who invests a lot of time and energy into their health and fitness. You can activate that identity by saying:
“
“I’m hearing you say you want to have more energy and feel like you’re on top of your fitness and nutrition. Those are great goals! Here’s what I’d recommend to help make those changes.”
In this example, you're speaking to the health seeker identity, not arguing with the supplement buyer. Instead of listing the facts and expecting them to run with it, you’re saying, “I see that you have this goal, and I agree that it’s a good one.” That validates their identity as a health seeker and helps them feel like you’re on the same team. They’re then more likely to be open to your evidence-based suggestions. Only once you have them in that headspace should you start to correct.
You still have to be careful about how you do it in order to keep identity threats to a minimum, of course. Instead of trying to wedge the science in, you can use what you know about the identity that you've just activated. Let’s return to our detox conversation to show how gently correcting and explaining the truth in plain English works.
“
“Detoxes are actually redundant because your liver and kidneys already perform that function. It sounds silly, but you just end up peeing them out – and I know you wouldn’t want to waste time and money that could be invested into things that actually help you meet your health goals.”
Again, you’ve affirmed that you’re on the same team. From there, you can get into what actually helps when they’re feeling run down, or what different bodily sensations might actually mean for their health. Now that they know that their liver and your kidneys are already doing the detoxing for them, what's the next step in their care?
One thing I want to note: in clinical settings, time constraints are a real barrier. So, take this as a reminder that you do what you can do.
It doesn’t have to be a lengthy philosophical conversation. It can be as simple as looking your patient (or the people accompanying them) in the eye, finding an identity to connect with, and chit-chatting about that thing for 30 seconds. Now, all of a sudden, you’re not necessarily talking about the thing that had their defenses on high alert. You’ve created a natural connection that can help you (or others providing their clinical care) to get through to them over time.
In whatever way these conversations are showing up in your life, I hope this gives you some more insight into how to have them effectively. If you’re interested in learning more on this topic, you can download this free resource I developed that’s filled with tons more peer-reviewed research and information on the psychology of changing minds.
… And if you want even more learning, you should check out Humor & Humanity in Medicine, the private membership for medical professionals that’s quickly becoming one of the best corners of the internet. This summer has some seriously exciting educational programming lined up for our Humor & Humanity in Medicine members – so click below to learn more!
In Last Month's Issue
Last month marked six years since Will’s sudden cardiac arrest. In the wee hours of that morning, Kristin performed 10 minutes of CPR that kept him alive. Those 10 minutes changed our lives forever.
Obviously, that day that brings up a lot of emotions for our family. From the relief and joy of survival; to the reckoning of lasting trauma, it’s been a rollercoaster. In last month’s essay, both of us reflected on our intertwined experiences.
Did A Fantastic Human Share
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