It's an odd thing about human nature, but logic doesn't always work.

If a person is liked and trusted, his message will be heard with sympathy
and a williness to believe it, even if it has flaws in facts or reasoning.
If a person is disliked and distrusted, it doesn't matter how factual or
logical his statements are, they will most likely be rejected in part or in
whole.

If you give negative information about someone who is liked and trusted,
people will be skeptical.  They will tend to ignore it, disbelieve it, say
they disbelieve, find excuses for the person, or counter-attack.  If you
give positive information about a person who is disliked or distrusted,
people will be skeptical.

Michael Moore is highly identified with a specific political agenda.
Anything he says on any topic is likely to be accepted or rejected based on
whether a person shares Mr. Moore's political convictions.  That is, unless
the person listening already has strong opinions on the subject, in which
case he is not likely to be influenced one way or the other by anything Mr.
Moore has to say.


Another facet of believing/disbelieving is whether accepting the
information offered requires a change in behavior.  People don't get too
worked up about facts and figures unless it means they have to do something
different when they don't want to change.

If believing the information means a person has to change when he has made
up his mind not to change, then he will ignore the information, say that he
does not believe it, or find a reason that the information does not apply
to him.  He may counter-attack by attempting to discredit either the
information or the person delivering it.

Belief has much more to do with free will than it has to do with logic.
Otherwise people would all make healthy choices, and of course all
breastfeed.


-Claire Bloodgood, IBCLC

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