The Psychology Of Skepticism
Why do people believe in things that they know are not true?
The answer to this question is not simple, but there are some psychological factors that can help to explain why people are drawn to believing in things that are not supported by evidence.
One reason why people might believe in something despite the lack of evidence is confirmation bias. This is the tendency to seek out information that confirms one's existing beliefs, and to ignore or discredit information that contradicts those beliefs.
For example, a person who believes that extraterrestrial life exists might only pay attention to stories about UFO sightings, and ignore reports of hoaxes or natural explanations for the sightings.
Confirmation bias can lead people to hold on to false beliefs even when presented with evidence to the contrary.
Another reason why people might believe in something despite the lack of evidence is the sunk cost fallacy. This is the tendency to believe that something is true or valuable simply because we have invested time, money, or effort into it.
For example, a person might continue to believe in a stock even after it has lost value, because they don't want to admit that they made a bad investment.
The sunk cost fallacy can lead people to hold on to false beliefs even when it would be better to let them go.
A third reason why people might believe in something despite the lack of evidence is the availability heuristic. This is the tendency to judge the likelihood of something based on how easily it comes to mind.
For example, a person might think that a plane crash is more likely than a car crash, because plane crashes are more often reported in the news.
The availability heuristic can lead people to overestimate the likelihood of rare events.
These are just some of the psychological factors that can lead people to believe in things that are not supported by evidence. If you find yourself believing in something despite the lack of evidence, it might be worth considering whether one of these factors is at play.