19 August 2024

As of late, I have gotten involved in conversation with a facebook friend who admitted climate change “seems real” but is “not convinced it's something humans can control or are really causing." So…99.9% of scientists [and executives from fossil fuel companies in internal memos] are wrong?!?

This got me thinking about misinformation…again! Luckily, a new study came out last week to help me understand. While people are more likely to believe information that supports their pre-existing beliefs (true or false), repetition of the claim increases the likelihood of believing it. In other words, a lie repeated over and over can start to seem more and more like the truth. Repeated claims are processed more quickly, as they become more familiar, and therefore more easily accepted.

Hear more about this on the podcast Hidden Brain: Where Truth Lies.

The Illusory Truth Effect (discovered in 1977) showed that a given claim is more likely to be judged true when it has been encountered before. The advice coming out of this new study is simple: Do not repeat false information. Instead, repeat what is true and enhance its familiarity. This includes information that aligns with your beliefs - check it out before you pass it on.

Even assuming that we are not sure our actions have consequences for the planet (although I'd take the current odds any day), wouldn't it be worth at least trying? I acknowledge that it sometimes seems overwhelming. What impact can I/you/he/she/they have when everyone else is not taking action?

By taking action - and talking about it - we create ripples of impact throughout the world. I know when I learned about the outsized impact of our food choices, I was shocked that hardly anyone was talking about it. We're starting to consider it more (I hope!), but time is of the essence. Plus, why wait to try delicious plant forward meals when it could be improving your health today?