The above post has been viral on social media this last week (original author unknown). It reads:
Important phrases we should all be willing to say as we learn and grow:
“In light of that new information I have changed my mind.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that before. I guess I was wrong.”
“From the evidence provided it appears I need to rethink things.”
“You make a strong argument, I’ll consider what you said.”
“I can’t support my opinion. I don’t know why I think that.”
“I never thought of it that way. Thank you, now I will.”
These words seem to have struck a chord in this current climate rife with accusations of ‘fake news’, gaslighting, alternative facts, die-hard partisanship and ‘echo chambers’.
I sense that amongst many of us, there is an emerging longing to see the world as it truly is, even if that means looking at painful truths within ourselves and within our communities. But, as this post highlights, there is something within us that reacts against changing our minds, even in the face of new information and compelling arguments. There’s something deeper going on. It is difficult and even counter-intuitive to see ourselves from within our own stories. It takes concerted effort (and perhaps spiritual power) to change this script, so deeply written within us.
The Power of Misperception
Over the course of a decade, Bobby Duffy (Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London) conducted 100,000 interviews across 40 countries examining how humans’ perceptions of reality relate to actual facts (Duffy, 2018, p. 2). The data showed that, regardless of age and culture, humans tend to misperceive information (Duffy, 2018, p. 2). (It’s worth taking a look at Duffy’s very read-able research study here.) Duffy identified a number of factors that contribute to this phenomenon, including an over-reliance on our incorrect prior knowledge and a limited self-awareness about how much our emotions can impact what we think and see (Duffy, 2018, p. 2).
In related research, Daniel Kahneman also pointed to the tendency to rely on fast “intuitive” thinking rather than slow “rational” thinking; our first conclusions (our ‘gut’ instincts) tend to govern us (Kahneman, 2012). When we misperceive we often consider ourselves well-informed which makes us less willing to concede to definitive facts, let alone respond well to complex, nuanced differences of opinion (Nyhan and Reifler, 2010).
In 2010, a Dartmouth study covered similar ground, but controversially suggested that a “backfire effect” can happen when beliefs are challenged, causing views to become more entrenched regardless of veracity (Nyhan and Reifler, 2010). More recent research at the USC Brain and Creativity Institute looked at how the brain’s circuitry responds to challenge (University of Southern California, 2016). They observed that the areas of the brain that respond to threat or anxiety were more highly activated in participants most resistant to statements alternative to their strongly-held views (University of Southern California, 2016). Lead researcher Jonas Kaplan hypothesised that those in such states of stress would be less able to engage in discourse or change their minds (University of Southern California, 2016).
These studies are not definitive in providing hard and fast truths, but both Duffy and Kaplan draw a conclusion that rings true to me. They note that religious beliefs (as well as political ones) are not only vital for forming personal identity, but also our sense of belonging within our social or spiritual communities (Duffy, 2018; University of Southern California, 2016).
As Kaplan artfully said, “To consider an alternative view, you would have to consider an alternative version of yourself” (University of Southern California, 2016).
Identity & Community
With this information in mind, let’s ask ourselves: What impact could a fear of losing our identity and community, whether or not we are conscious of it, have on our ability to engage in respectful dialogue with others of different views or be open to new ways of thinking or being? How could this fear impact our willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to show us where we may be wrong (in our attitudes, actions or theology)?
I think that acknowledging this underlying fear of change and loss needs to factor in to how we approach difficult conversations across difference and how we engage with challenges to our own strongly-held beliefs. I also think this must influence how we approach our personal and communal spiritual development and our activism.
The questions offered by this week’s viral post offer some simple language we can use to fuel this process. A proactive, open-handed humility that admits that we might be wrong and a willingness to learn and see truth (in the world and in ourselves), whatever the cost, are powerful parts of being disciples to Jesus and seekers of justice.
We must be courageous, willing to see ourselves within our own stories and to do our best to understand, and at times deconstruct, why we believe what we believe. And I think that we should seek out ways to do so in concert with others, even if it is painful. We need to talk about changing our minds within our own (spiritual/ political/ activist) communities in order to normalise this as practice.
The core of this article is an excerpt from Danielle Wilson’s dissertation titled Cultivating a Dialogical Spirituality: How respectful dialogue and disagreement between Christians in the UK can strengthen our discipleship to Jesus and lead to greater missional impact, drawing on examples from LGBTQ+/Church engagement (Redcliffe College, 2019).
Other sources:
Duffy, B., 2018. The Perils of Perception: Why We’re Wrong About Nearly Everything, Kindle Edition. ed. Atlantic Books.
Kahneman, D., 2012. Thinking, Fast and Slow, Reprint edition. ed. Penguin, London.
Nyhan, B., Reifler, J., 2010. When Corrections Fail: The Persistence of Political Misperceptions. Political Behavior 32, 303–330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-010-9112-2
University of Southern California, 2016. Hard-wired: The brain’s circuitry for political belief. phys.org. URL https://phys.org/news/2016-12-hard-wired-brain-circuitry-political-belief.html (accessed 13.3.19).