The Backfire Effect

Day 324 / 365

Have you ever had an argument online with someone that held the opposite views as yours? How productive was it? When they showed you evidence supporting their views, did you consider them objectively, or did you went into defensive mode and opposed them even more strongly?

Arguments online seldom end on a positive note, and this is one of many examples of the psychological phenomenon known as the backfire effect.

When faced with evidence that is contrary to our beliefs, we reject the evidence and our original belief actually gets even stronger. This is known as the backfire effect.

Our brain likes to hold our worldview very securely. Our worldview is like a beautiful house that we have created and decorated with our beliefs all our lives. When something new comes up that doesn’t fit our worldview, our brain feels threatened that it might damage this beautiful house of ours. So it rejects it right away. Not only that, but it also creates a fence around it to prevent further intrusions.

The reason for this is probably evolutionary. Our cave-dwelling ancestors must have been trained by nature to respond more strongly towards negative stimuli than positive, as negative stimuli might have been a danger to their lives.

Even today studies have shown that the part of the brain that is activated when we are shown something against our beliefs, is the same part that comes into action when we are in physical danger. This is why you would sometimes feel physically threatened if someone questions your view.

This post is part of my 365 Day Project for 2019. Read about it here

Yesterday’s blog — You see things as you are