Ignorance in the world is unimaginable. Irrationality is unfathomable. People live and die not really understanding that!

Krishna:

Science communication has several answers to this question.

Perceptions! Emotions!

Appeals to emotion and faith often win the day regardless of what the scientific evidence says. That is one reason why, for example, anti-vaccine propaganda is persuasive to many people. One of the most compelling “arguments” are vivid, personal stories highlighted by anti-vaccination activists. It’s a case of science versus anecdote. Anecdotes win!

Statistics and authoritative, impersonal medical information will never be as compelling as an emotional, tearful story told by a mother holding the daughter whose autism she blames on the vaccine. All the facts, data and research fades away under the glare of human emotion and faith. The people who do best in these debates are those who establish rapport with the audience, and who come across as trustworthy and believable. Affect is all; content is secondary. Which is another reason why formal debate is not the way to educate people about evolution or science in general. (1)

Scientists really don't know how to appeal to the emotional part of people's minds like artists, actors and people of religion do. This is because scientists would be told and trained to keep the emotions at bay as soon as they enter their work places because they interfere with neutral reasoning which is essential for scientific progress. They try to speak facts with a distance that is perceived as cold and unemotional. It is difficult for the scientifically trained persons to come out of this mold ( Two art journal editors asked me to say things passionately and become more 'personal oriented' while conducting interviews with me. It was an uphill task for me. Finally when I could not do it to their satisfaction, they changed my words. When I asked them why they did this they told me they wanted to bring life to the interview! But what they published were not my words and they didn't represent me as an individual and I was not at all happy with the outcome. That is how we are!

It is extremely difficult for us - when once we find a fact and reality - to go to the realm of pseudo-world and ideas that don't fit into reality. The beauty of truth will never allow you to go back to the ugly falsehood. A mind that is broadened by knowledge can never go back to its original and narrow size again!

Irrationality :

It still rules the world. I want to add a real life example here:

Recently one person asked a question : Do pet animals realize if their owner is pregnant?

Now notice the difference between the answer of a layman who used emotional quotient to get attracted and my answer which strictly adheres to facts and IQ.

Layman's answer:

When my wife missed her cycle, a pregnancy test was conducted on the same day.

A week before that, my dog started acting like a looney toon getting extra happy and funny and rolling on the floor and demanding a belly rub from us both. He used to sleep on his bed but the entire week, he started sleeping between us and cuddling us like a baby and licking our cheeks to his satisfaction. He was acting like a kid not eating his pedigree until he’s hand fed at least the first scoop. We were surprised at this overnight change in his behaviour.

My wife was worried about her missed cycle and we did a pregnancy test and VOILA!!! We are officially parents. The joy was beyond imagination and even before we knew our son (dog) knew it and he was over protective about us acting like a possessed being. He realised that we discovered the secret and since that day he was very protective.

March 24, 2009, sharp 3:00AM, my mom in law called up when we were in the hospital and said that all of a sudden my dog woke up and started going nuts running around very playfully and woke her up. The moment she said this, I shared the news with her about the birth of our daughter, sorry his new born sister. Brought her home after a couple of days and since then he never left her side till his last breath. So my baby knew about his sister!

This answer then had more than 20,000 views, because it was shared over and over again! It also got thousands of up votes. People who read it really loved it!

My (Krishna's) answer:

People tell strange stories, don't they?

What people here said is anecdotal and just their interpretations of the situation, not reality.

Yes, dogs can sense hormonal (chemical) changes that occur in a pregnant lady because of altered scent. But they really don’t know the science behind pregnancy. Therefore, they cannot realize their owner is pregnant. Sensing the change in odour is not sensing pregnancy. Get that right first.

If pregnancy related hormonal changes have you riding the emotional roller coaster, your dog is probably noticing it too. But It really cannot phantom the reason for it. It might change its response to your behaviour.

Any positive behavioural changes you say happen is just your wishful thinking, strange perception and attributing your thoughts to dogs and other pets! That’s all!

I just got 50 views and 2 upvotes for my answer.

No, I am not complaining. Emotions rule the world. We know that very well. Even though the story told by the layman was 'made up' ( it can't be true), it attracted people because of the emotions involved with a pet dog, his 'understanding and the prediction' of pregnancy of its owner and birth of a child, strange interpretations of love and understanding.

'Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story', is the mantra followed by these people.

My raw truth didn't attract people at all even though that is a science based fact which is 100% correct.

Now tell me how can I deviate from the truth and tell a made up story like the layman did? How can I mislead the world like this person did to get appreciation? I can't! I can't!! I can't!!!

Because Science doesn't allow it!

All that I can say is, 'World, please come to your senses!' (2)

Image source: Big stock photo

Ignorance:

People with low ability in a specific area may have an overly positive assessment of a person who can pretend to be “knowledgeable”.

Some people speak as if they are experts even if they are not! The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people are so full of doubts. Intelligent people tend to have more doubts, and underestimate their abilities, because they tend to be more self-aware of how much they don't know, and they tend to doubt their assessments more because they consider more possibilities and scenarios.

This creates a doubt in people without much knowledge about experts.

Information Easiness:

Non-experts may be swayed by how easy it is to understand information about a scientific issue, even if they doubt the accuracy of the information.

Usually, non-experts do not possess sufficient deep-level knowledge to make fully informed evaluations of scientific claims. Instead, they depend on pertinent experts for support. However, previous research has shown that the easiness by which textual information on a scientific issue can be understood seduces non-experts into overlooking their evaluative limitations. (3)

Some people do not easily fall for falsehoods. But when misinformation offers simple, casual explanations for otherwise random events, “it helps restore a sense of agency and control for many people”.

During times of turmoil, the explanations provided by non-experts and other falsehoods can be even more appealing—though not impossible to discourage or resist.

Without depth in assessments and understanding, their perceptions take a beating.

Dunning Kruger’s effect:

I have seen non-experts speaking so authoritatively that common people can never doubt their words.

People believe in an authoritative voice because it conveys confidence, expertise, and credibility. It can be useful for getting people to pay attention and remember what you're saying.

Non-experts usually try to cover up their lack of knowledge with an authoritative voice so that people listening can never doubt their words.

Image source: google

Collective narcissism

Another psychological factor that can lead to belief in irrational things is what experts call “collective narcissism,” or a group’s inflated belief in its own significance. Research suggests that collective narcissists are apt to look for imaginary enemies and adopt untrue explanations that blame them.

This urge is particularly strong when narcissistic people fail, or members of their group fail. “For some people, strange beliefs are the best way to deal with the psychological threat posed by their own failure”. These people tend to believe in extreme claims of their “own” people.

Sensationalism:

 People tend to believe sensational stories even if they are made of misinformation.

They are fun, simple, and exciting whereas reality is often humdrum, messy, and boring.

Following the leader or celebrities:

While groups tend to share common beliefs, those beliefs are often sculpted by a handful of influential people. Others follow these leaders blindly.

When movie stars claim they have solutions for health problems, all their followers believe them without questioning them at all!

Social media swaying:

When someone up votes for their friend irrespective of the correctness of information s/he provides, others who are in the same mindset too follow it blindly.

To have a sense of belonging:

Most people always want to be in specific groups and communities so that they feel ‘safe’. These people follow what others in the group think is correct.

Media meddling:

When misinformation is covered in the news—often in an attempt to disprove falsehoods—the coverage can inadvertently aid in creating familiarity with incorrect beliefs. A recent study found this was especially true amid the pandemic, as media reports sometimes amplified the voices of people who “advocated unproven cures, denied what is known scientifically about the nature and origins of the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, and proposed conspiracy theories which purport to explain causation and often allege nefarious intent.”

Confirmation bias:

Many just want their irrational beliefs and opinions to be confirmed over and over again because they don’t want to look irrational to others around them. They try to search and believe only things that match their mentality. Anything new will be discarded mercilessly without even considering it for a brief period.

Cognitive shortcuts:

People use cognitive shortcuts—largely unconscious rules-of-thumb to make decisions faster—to determine what they should believe. And people experiencing anxiety or a sense of disorder, those who crave cognitive closure, may be even more reliant on those cognitive shortcuts to make sense of the world.

Desperation:

Yes, science still cannot provide all solutions to problems because of human mind inadequacies. People who are desperate to find ‘cures’ to their medical conditions try to clutch at all the straws available even if they are false promises.

Once people believe something, it can be almost impossible to dissuade them. Belief echoes—an “obsessive, emotional response to information that can linger even after we know it’s false” makes this highly difficult.

Human mind is a strange thing. It works in many easy and all available ways to make sense of the world but most minds fail miserably in getting things right because they follow the wrong procedures and routes.

Ignorance in the world is unimaginable. Irrationality is unfathomable. People live and die not really understanding that!

But strangely the world goes on despite everything!

Footnotes:

1. Why it is difficult for scientists to debate controversial issues w...
2. Why it is difficult for scientists to have high EQs
3. Information Easiness Affects Non-experts’ Evaluation of Scientific ...