Why You Can't Win Arguments Against Bigfoot Skeptics

Source: www.xkcd.com

Leroy showcasing
how Patty was faked

There's people like Leroy Blevins, and parts of mainstream science who will ignore every piece of Bigfoot evidence presented to them. If you ever tried to argue with these people over the internet, you probably remember the insane amount of time arguing back and forth, and then you wonder how could someone be incapable of accepting the truth. Most likely, when you're going back and forth with someone like that, you're both susceptible to something called the backfire effect.

According to author David McRaney's post on the subject, we have a tendency to believe things even more when our beliefs are challenged. The basic idea comes from how we handle negative information versus positive information:

A thousand positive remarks can slip by unnoticed, but one "you suck" can linger in your head for days. One hypothesis as to why this and the backfire effect happens is that you spend much more time considering information you disagree with than you do information you accept. Information which lines up with what you already believe passes through the mind like a vapor, but when you come across something which threatens your beliefs, something which conflicts with your preconceived notions of how the world works, you seize up and take notice. Some psychologists speculate there is an evolutionary explanation. Your ancestors paid more attention and spent more time thinking about negative stimuli than positive because bad things required a response. Those who failed to address negative stimuli failed to keep breathing.

McRaney points to several studies showing how people are willing to completely ignore scientific proof that their beliefs are wrong. Hit the link below for the full post; it's information worth keeping in mind next time you find yourself in an online brawl.

FacebookFindBigfoot V.S. Leroy Blevins

Blevins best proof of PG is real

Source: youarenotsosmart.com