Persistence of Myths Could Alter Public Policy Approach - washingtonpost.com

When the CDC tried to debunk myths about the flu, they instead found that they reinforced the very myths they were trying to correct. What’s worse is the people ended up believing that the myths were actually being promoted by a very reliable and authoritative source—the CDC itself.

This shows a very disturbing phenomenon—that debunking myths may only serve to make them stronger. This phenomenon is tied to the way the subconscious and memory works in people’s minds.

The article explains why it can be hard to fight false beliefs but quite easy to implant ideas, whether they are true or not, into people’s heads. It seems that it is very difficult to keep wrong information from being perpetuated. Fascinating stuff.