Suckers for pseudoscienceSuckers for pseudoscience
All In The Mind
When it comes to pseudoscience you might consider yourself to be a sceptic But don’t give yourself too much credit because we’re all vulnerable to believing dubious claims. This is because of powerful cognitive biases in the brain—and we could actually be satisfied with quite shallow explanations for things—and for being suckers for pseudoscience.
29:07•23 Feb 2020
Why We Fall for Pseudoscience: Understanding Cognitive Biases
“So if you are aware that we are biased to these shallow explanations, we all fall prey to illusion of explanatory depth all the time.”
Ever wondered why even the smartest among us sometimes believe in dubious claims? In this eye-opening episode of 'All In The Mind,' host Lynne Malcolm chats with Dr. Micah Goldwater from The University of Sydney to explore our susceptibility to pseudoscience. They dive into the cognitive biases that trick our brains, like the illusion of explanatory depth, which makes us think we understand things better than we actually do. Dr.
Goldwater explains how anecdotes and choosing the wrong experts can skew our medical decisions, leading us down the rabbit hole of misinformation. The conversation also touches on society's complicated relationship with science and the recent surge in anti-vax sentiments. This episode is a must-listen if you want to understand how our minds can be so easily fooled and how to guard against it. It's an engaging and enlightening discussion that will leave you questioning what you think you know.
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