1 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: I'm Julie Douglas and my name is Ben Bowlen. I 4 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,080 Speaker 1: host car Stuff Stuff Then Want you to Know, and 5 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: today I am guest hosting with you, Julie. That's right. 6 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: Today Robert is not here, but in his stead is 7 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:32,559 Speaker 1: Mr Ben Boleyn and Robert will be back um for 8 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: April five and infinity beyond that. But so thank you 9 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: very much for hanging out with us today. Oh, thank you. 10 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 1: I'm actually a big time fan, longtime listener, first time 11 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,559 Speaker 1: co host. Yeah, yeah, I know. It's very nice to 12 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: have you here because today's topic, we think is going 13 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: to lend itself nicely to April Fool's Day and a 14 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: bit of what you do with stuff they don't want 15 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: you to know because you deal with conspiracy theories of time, right, Yes, yes, 16 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,119 Speaker 1: it is in a lot of ways. I would say 17 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: it's it's the focus of stuff then want you to know. 18 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: We also cover some paranormal things. But if we're talking 19 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: about conspiracy theories, uh, let's let's go ahead and take 20 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: it all the way to the top. Let's let's take 21 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: it to the Moon to the Moon. All right, you're 22 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 1: you're speaking of the conspiracy theory that the moon landing 23 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: was just a hoax perpetrated by the United States government. Yes, 24 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: and this is uh, that's that's great. You've encapsulated it 25 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: in a sentence. This if if conspiracy theories were like 26 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: a band and they had a discography, this would be 27 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: on the greatest hits because this is one of the 28 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: classic conspiracies and it ranges. The reasons that people believe 29 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: the moon landing was faked can can change depending on 30 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 1: the circumstances and the conversation. But you know, we've got 31 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 1: an excellent uh, we've got an excellent article for our 32 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: own John Fuller, Right, that's right, and wonderful editor, John. 33 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: And it's a great article, and it's about why some 34 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: people believe the moon landings were a hoax. And you know, 35 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 1: there's some reasons that you'll typically here. Oh yeah, I 36 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: mean they're really really um. Typical things are that if 37 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:21,240 Speaker 1: you look at the photographs, there are no stars in 38 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: the background, right and um, and they say, well, if 39 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: there's no there are no stars, obviously this was done 40 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 1: on a set, right. And now, so it's like you 41 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: know what that's not actually why, it's because the sun's 42 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:35,399 Speaker 1: rays are hitting the surface and it's way too bright 43 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,080 Speaker 1: for any camera to capture something in the distance. Right, So, 44 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: you know, there are these reasons that seem kind of 45 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: logical that that you can see in conspiracy theory, you know, 46 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: starting to weave them their way in. But then you 47 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: can refute it just as easily with well science and 48 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:57,639 Speaker 1: an empirical objective observation. Um, there's also you know, it's funny, 49 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:01,799 Speaker 1: there's a sidebar this conspiracy theory. One of the furthest 50 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: reaches of it is the idea that Stanley Kubrick, no 51 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 1: one other than Stanley Kubrick himself, actually participated and was 52 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 1: the one who filmed the fake landing on the Moon. 53 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: Of course, I know it all makes sense now the 54 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 1: pieces come together. I got it, totally makes sense because 55 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 1: he's got skin in the game with one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 56 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,080 Speaker 1: And it sounds sort of reasonable. Of course, these explanations 57 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: people would have, if they don't, uh, if they don't 58 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:32,919 Speaker 1: seem to quite jibe with what you already know, then 59 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: there must be a reason for that. And the reason, 60 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: of course can't be that we were wrong. Oh no, no, 61 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: what's it was? Another really good one from that. Okay, 62 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: let's go with the infamous sea rock. A lot of 63 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 1: people who believe the moon landing was faked will tell 64 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 1: you that it was a prop that was that actually 65 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:55,800 Speaker 1: dentally was shown on film with the letters C on 66 00:03:55,920 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: it like someone some uh foolish proper person forgot to 67 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: turn the rock around because you know whatever, like maybe 68 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: the company's logo was emblazoned on it and the sea 69 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: was showing right, And never mind that, NASA says, this 70 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:14,040 Speaker 1: is most likely a stray hair that got onto the 71 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: film and the developing process, because of course that's just 72 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: smoke and mirrors, right right, that's just of course you have. 73 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: NASA would say that that seems really logical, and that's 74 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: that's not the only one, of course, you you know, 75 00:04:25,839 --> 00:04:28,000 Speaker 1: I'm sure we have a list of these here somewhere. 76 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: Um shadow links. Oh yeah, the different shadow links. They 77 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: were saying, okay, here's here's a photo of two astronauts 78 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: are standing together, and yet their photo is showing these 79 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: lengths that are disproportionate, and why is that? Why is that? Yeah? Yeah, 80 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:48,839 Speaker 1: and so NASA says, okay, again, it's not some sort 81 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: of faulty lighting system that we used on our set 82 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: that you think we built. It's actually that the terrain 83 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: is rough and it's hilly and it produces variance. Is 84 00:04:57,560 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: just like if you were to take a picture on 85 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:02,640 Speaker 1: a snow covered right and that you know, of course 86 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:06,279 Speaker 1: that makes sense again if you have taken photographs on 87 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: a snow covered hill. But of course, if you believe 88 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 1: that this is all some sort of large attempt to 89 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:17,719 Speaker 1: cover up quote unquote the truth, then of course NASA 90 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: is gonna come up with explanations that may even seem clever, 91 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: but but they don't jive again with what you're thinking. 92 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:29,040 Speaker 1: Another example, the American flag flapping in the breeze. Uh. 93 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:31,599 Speaker 1: As we know, one of the reasons that there's not 94 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: a resort on the Moon yet is that the atmosphere 95 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: is not conducive to human beings or wind, and so 96 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: the idea is, how could how could the wind uh 97 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: show a flag or how could the film show a 98 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:49,359 Speaker 1: flag flapping in the breeze. And that's that's one of 99 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:51,480 Speaker 1: the other points. I mean, we you know, we could 100 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 1: go on about this, uh, we go on about this forever, 101 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:58,600 Speaker 1: and um, Robert I apologize if people write mean things 102 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,880 Speaker 1: about moon landings to you. Please please guys forward the 103 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: email to me. Um, you know you have other accusations 104 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:07,239 Speaker 1: slow motion films and wires. And for a long time, 105 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,279 Speaker 1: these groups, the people who believed in that the moon 106 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:12,920 Speaker 1: landing was faked for some reason, and the people who 107 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: believe that those people were crazy, were understandably contentious and 108 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 1: and um right, right, yes, And it was difficult for 109 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 1: them to have a dialogue about that until Julian Assange 110 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 1: of wiki leaks released some very interesting cables regarding the 111 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:37,440 Speaker 1: moon landing. Yeah, it turns out it's conclusively proven, due 112 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: to the or from these diplomatic cables, uh, that the 113 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:45,000 Speaker 1: moon landing was faked with the assistance Stanley Kubrick, this 114 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:49,240 Speaker 1: just hit the news. Go ahead and google it. You're kidding, 115 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:52,479 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, Well to make sure you get right to 116 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:56,159 Speaker 1: the story, go ahead and google Happy April Fool's Day 117 00:06:56,839 --> 00:07:00,840 Speaker 1: been fallen. I'm sorry, yeah, it's but you see how 118 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:04,640 Speaker 1: easy that was. I started, I was like, what wiki leaks, Wait, 119 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 1: this is a new source, because it sounds reasonable if 120 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: something like that was going to come from somewhere right right, 121 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 1: Our new source in the sense that we're starting obviously 122 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 1: to get a flood of information we haven't gotten before, 123 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 1: sure new sensory information, right, And my brain was starting 124 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 1: to take that in and I have to say, like 125 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: I was like, Okay, no, and he's he's not he's 126 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:27,840 Speaker 1: not actually telling the truth that were there. But a 127 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:31,239 Speaker 1: little part of my brain was going, but Wiki leaks 128 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: telling us stuff we haven't known before. And I think 129 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:37,360 Speaker 1: that's what's so fascinating about just the whole is the 130 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: man the moon landings, where they a hoax, but the 131 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 1: fact that you know, we have this sort of logic 132 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: that can't help but assemble itself on its own. It's 133 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: almost like its own emergence in our brain cells try 134 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 1: and put all this together for us. And I was 135 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 1: thinking about it. You know, we can't help but detect patterns, 136 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 1: and especially when we look at path examples um that 137 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 1: have eroded our faith and information and government in the corporations. 138 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:11,840 Speaker 1: And a really good example is the cigarette industry. Oh 139 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:13,440 Speaker 1: that's a great example, you know. I mean, you know, 140 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: for years, you know, decades long foot see playing with 141 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 1: the government in terms of the information that they released 142 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 1: about cigarettes and how harmful they are. So you've got 143 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 1: an example like that in the public, well knows now 144 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 1: that that was information that was kept from them. We've 145 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 1: got Watergate, You've got Milli Vanilli, you know. I mean, 146 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 1: these are things that you can start to point to 147 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 1: and say, you know, if it happened before, you know, 148 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: why couldn't happen again. This presentation is brought to you 149 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:55,280 Speaker 1: by Intel Sponsors of Tomorrow because human beings depend The 150 00:08:55,679 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 1: way that the human species has survived for so long 151 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:02,360 Speaker 1: is really based on the ability to detect patterns and 152 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 1: to think critically and abstractly about the future, or to 153 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:10,960 Speaker 1: let the precedent set from those past experiences influence our 154 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: attitudes and behaviors when confronted with information that seems similar 155 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:21,840 Speaker 1: or seems to again coincide with what we had believed before. 156 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 1: And this can lead to a funny little thing. And 157 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:30,679 Speaker 1: by funny little thing, I mean one an enormously influential 158 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:37,360 Speaker 1: theory of psychology, uh that we call cognitive dissonance. Yeah, 159 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: it's the bread to the butter when it comes to 160 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:44,439 Speaker 1: conspiracy theories and how we try to explain to ourselves, um, 161 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:46,360 Speaker 1: how this could happen? And I will you know, I 162 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 1: do want to say, like I'm not making fun of 163 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 1: conspiracy theorists. And I'm not making light of UM any 164 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:54,480 Speaker 1: of this, but I do think that we all have 165 00:09:54,559 --> 00:09:58,400 Speaker 1: a little bit of a conspiracy theorists inside of ourselves. Sure, 166 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 1: And it doesn't necessary really have to be UM for 167 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:05,160 Speaker 1: something like it doesn't necessarily have to be for something 168 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:08,800 Speaker 1: like the idea that the world is ruled by freemasons 169 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 1: or reptilian aliens or anything. It can be, it can 170 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:15,560 Speaker 1: it can be a small sort of theory as uh. 171 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:17,600 Speaker 1: I think we talked about a little bit before on 172 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 1: the air where you say, you know, uh, that person 173 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:24,600 Speaker 1: is after me, Yeah, yeah, or my cat, My cat 174 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 1: is purposely you know, perpetrating this crime against me. I 175 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:30,560 Speaker 1: just know it. I just need to get that camera 176 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:33,440 Speaker 1: in my house hooked up and then I'll have evidence. Well, 177 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:36,360 Speaker 1: cats are are actually vengeful creatures. So I don't know 178 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: that example, right, But I mean, basically, when you bring 179 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:45,000 Speaker 1: up cognitive dissonance, what we're talking about, and in more 180 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 1: high salutent terms, is that when actions conflict with our beliefs, 181 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:52,160 Speaker 1: they can produce a phenomenon called cognitive distance, and it's 182 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:54,920 Speaker 1: essentially a way of dealing with a discomfort that arises 183 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 1: when your brain is trying to parse out two different 184 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:02,200 Speaker 1: cognitions which can and be manifested in our beliefs or 185 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:06,240 Speaker 1: our actions. And uh, here's the if if I could 186 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,440 Speaker 1: take us with a historical sidebar real quicks. Okay, So 187 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 1: this term cognitive dissonance. We we get this from the 188 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 1: nineteen fifties by a social psychologist named Leon Festinger. And uh, 189 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:22,080 Speaker 1: the interesting thing is his his research came about because 190 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:26,560 Speaker 1: he was trying to understand why a UFO doomsday cult 191 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:33,240 Speaker 1: uh increased trying to proselytize new believers when their prophecy failed. 192 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:38,079 Speaker 1: So this actually does come from a study of conspiracy theory. Okay. 193 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:40,960 Speaker 1: So and so his he kind of sat there and went, hey, 194 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 1: now that that, um, it's obvious that the UFOs maybe 195 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:49,400 Speaker 1: didn't have the evidence that that this group thought there 196 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:52,520 Speaker 1: was why in the world where they continue with their beliefs, Right, 197 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:56,080 Speaker 1: he was like, what's going on here? Excellent question for 198 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:58,720 Speaker 1: for the we'll do the reader's digest version of this. 199 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 1: So basically, there's, uh, this person, this cult leader who 200 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 1: begins receiving messages of course, uh, intangible messages from a 201 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: UFO telling her about the end of the world, gathering 202 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 1: up followers. These she forms a cult. These people are 203 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:23,840 Speaker 1: um together, united in their preparation for a coming apocalypse 204 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 1: with a definite date. And the date comes and it 205 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:32,960 Speaker 1: goes and nothing. The world surprisingly does not end. But 206 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:38,400 Speaker 1: the cult leader, uh strangely enough, gets a new message 207 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:41,920 Speaker 1: that says, due to their the good works of the 208 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:45,440 Speaker 1: cult and the good intentions or whatnot, um, they have 209 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: saved the world, which means that their religion is now 210 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: not disproven but further validated, which means that they have 211 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:03,720 Speaker 1: somehow um. This this kind of attempt to even out 212 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:08,360 Speaker 1: or balance the gap between the knowledge that they have, 213 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:10,840 Speaker 1: which is that the world is not ended, and the 214 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 1: actions that they took, you know, um, and to make themselves, 215 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:16,920 Speaker 1: I don't want to say, feel better, but to sort 216 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:20,120 Speaker 1: of rationalize the distance between those two. I don't know though, 217 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:22,439 Speaker 1: I think that's the crux of it. I mean, because 218 00:13:22,679 --> 00:13:25,320 Speaker 1: that is the discomfort they're feeling, right, Yes, that's the 219 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:28,199 Speaker 1: cognitive distance. Okay, they're like that is not matching up. 220 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:32,199 Speaker 1: And and all of a sudden, the cult leader, in 221 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 1: automatic writing, right, which is like so eighties, um, you know, 222 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 1: gets this message and then they're all relieved of that 223 00:13:40,679 --> 00:13:46,679 Speaker 1: discomfort and that relief outweighs the chance I suppose for 224 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:51,320 Speaker 1: true knowledge in this case. And so they're they're going 225 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:53,920 Speaker 1: to be tied to that because at least they're feeling better, 226 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:56,920 Speaker 1: and it's all squared to their logic and life is 227 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:01,559 Speaker 1: normal again, at least for them, whatever normal is. And 228 00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: and then with as Fastener was exploring this, you know, 229 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: he said that there are that this dissonance produces a discomfort, 230 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:14,360 Speaker 1: and correspondingly, there will arise pressures to reduce or eliminate 231 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:18,000 Speaker 1: this dissonance. And you know, he goes on to analyze 232 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:24,720 Speaker 1: the ways in which this dissonance occurs and how it resolves, 233 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 1: and he found that there are several ways to to 234 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 1: find this. Uh, there are several ways to deal with 235 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:39,680 Speaker 1: this cognitive dissonance, and I'll tell you what they are. Um, 236 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 1: a person may try to change one or more of 237 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:45,080 Speaker 1: their behaviors or beliefs. That's the first way. The second 238 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 1: is that a person may try to acquire new information 239 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:51,440 Speaker 1: or beliefs to increase the consonants, which will lessen the 240 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:53,920 Speaker 1: overall dissonance. I mean, that's that's obvious in the case 241 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:57,360 Speaker 1: of the UFOL cult. And then the third is that 242 00:14:57,400 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: a person may try to forget or play down the 243 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:04,120 Speaker 1: importan the cognition that butting up against the contradictory cognition. 244 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 1: And there's our smoking example again, right, there's a there's 245 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: a great example of smoking. Um. And this is from passenger. Again, 246 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,440 Speaker 1: I'm quoting a passenger. Uh. He says, for example, a 247 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:16,840 Speaker 1: cigarette smoker who believes that smoking is bad for his 248 00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:19,440 Speaker 1: health has an opinion that is dissonant with the knowledge 249 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 1: that he is continuing to smoke. He may have many 250 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:25,440 Speaker 1: other opinions, beliefs, or items of knowledge that are consonant 251 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 1: with continuing to smoke, but the dissonance still exists too, 252 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:31,880 Speaker 1: and because of that come because of that discomfort, you know, 253 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:36,120 Speaker 1: because humans want patterns. We want all the pieces of 254 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:40,120 Speaker 1: a puzzle to fit. Because of that, this smoker in 255 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:43,480 Speaker 1: this question may try to change a behavior belief, may 256 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:46,360 Speaker 1: try to quit smoking, for instance, UH, may try to 257 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:51,080 Speaker 1: learn new things that will increase the consonants, something that says, well, 258 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:53,320 Speaker 1: smoking might be bad for other people, but for me, 259 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:57,480 Speaker 1: it's actually genius, um, you know. Or may just try 260 00:15:57,520 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 1: to forget it or play it down, you know, never 261 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:03,000 Speaker 1: mind them young, or I'm under a last stress. Yeah, yeah, 262 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 1: and the forgetting part right, I may have to say, 263 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 1: I have to admit that when I was a smoker, 264 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:10,960 Speaker 1: I oftentimes, you know, sort of willfully forgot the fact 265 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 1: that I was doing all sorts of crazy things to 266 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:17,080 Speaker 1: my poor cells in my body. Um. So, I mean 267 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 1: it happens, right, And that's why I say it's it's 268 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 1: really this. This is so fascinating because there is a 269 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:25,120 Speaker 1: little bit of cognitive dissonance going on with us, all 270 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 1: of us at some level, every day with with the 271 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 1: things that we're dealing with. And then you just see 272 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:33,920 Speaker 1: it in really extreme forms and stuff like conspiracy theories 273 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:39,120 Speaker 1: revolving around the moon. Sure sure, or we we could 274 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 1: also see at times, um, cognitive dissonance can really come 275 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:48,160 Speaker 1: out in uh decision points, you know. Uh. For for instance, 276 00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 1: you will often hear that people will say a a 277 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:56,680 Speaker 1: public figure or a politician or a large, um, very 278 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:00,840 Speaker 1: influential business owner is saying things that seem to be hypocritical. 279 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:03,560 Speaker 1: But how much of that is actually how much of 280 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:07,040 Speaker 1: that is um malevolent or calculated? And how much of 281 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:11,480 Speaker 1: that is just these poor folks functioning under cognitive dissonances. Yeah, 282 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:16,440 Speaker 1: so and basically funneling those perceptions through right, so this 283 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 1: is really interesting. There is a neuroscientist named Cameron Carter 284 00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:24,200 Speaker 1: at the University of California Davis and UM. This is 285 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:27,919 Speaker 1: actually information pulled from a Newsweek article titled Wired for 286 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:34,400 Speaker 1: Hypocrisy by Sharon Bagley UM. Carter used volunteers to study 287 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:39,360 Speaker 1: their brains basically during cognitive dissonance UH, and he did 288 00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:42,320 Speaker 1: that with fl MARI and the volunteer spent forty five 289 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:45,639 Speaker 1: minutes doing a really rope task inside fm R I 290 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:49,000 Speaker 1: tube and then afterward they were asked to answer questions 291 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:51,680 Speaker 1: about their experience, which, of course the board across the 292 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:54,440 Speaker 1: board they did not like, which seems obvious, right, You're 293 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:58,280 Speaker 1: stuck in a tiny little tube doing something boring and 294 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:01,200 Speaker 1: you're really gonna probably so I would highly dislike it. 295 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,640 Speaker 1: That's what I would check highly disliked UM. But they 296 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:08,960 Speaker 1: were asked to answer the questions again that they had 297 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 1: answered after their first experience, and this time half of 298 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:15,280 Speaker 1: the volunteers were told that their answers were going to 299 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:18,120 Speaker 1: be read by a nervous patient who needed reassurance about 300 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:21,080 Speaker 1: undergoing an fm R. The other half were told that 301 00:18:21,119 --> 00:18:23,080 Speaker 1: they were going to get a dollar each time they 302 00:18:23,119 --> 00:18:28,040 Speaker 1: answered the questions as though they were enjoying the scanner kitching. 303 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:30,960 Speaker 1: So as though, so that's the that's the important part, 304 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:36,439 Speaker 1: to answer the questions um with two sort of present 305 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:40,880 Speaker 1: an opinion publicly that does not match with their personal 306 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:43,680 Speaker 1: opinion or experience. Yeah, and of course I'm just gonna 307 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 1: ask which do you think which narra do you think 308 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:50,840 Speaker 1: was more effective? Hmmm, that's you know, that's a question 309 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 1: for me. That's tricky because it seems, you know, on 310 00:18:54,359 --> 00:18:57,280 Speaker 1: the offset, just with this information, it seems like there 311 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 1: may be a difference between the people who am angst 312 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: us are profiteers and who amongst us are nurturing people. Okay, 313 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 1: but you know what, for just just for guessing, just 314 00:19:09,119 --> 00:19:11,520 Speaker 1: for the sake of guessing, I would say that the 315 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:18,439 Speaker 1: people who are the people who are motivated by the 316 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:23,399 Speaker 1: money probably think that the probably actually think that this 317 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:25,400 Speaker 1: might be a better thing. No, no, no, no, wait, 318 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:28,040 Speaker 1: oh I don't know, I don't know. Oh, I don't know. 319 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:31,680 Speaker 1: I think you just revealed your your black capitalist heart. 320 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:35,280 Speaker 1: I did. I'm a profiteer, yeah, you're a profitier. Actually, 321 00:19:35,359 --> 00:19:37,560 Speaker 1: it was the people who were most concerned about a 322 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:42,200 Speaker 1: nervous patient and the exciting thing about this whole thing, 323 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:46,960 Speaker 1: UM wasn't necessarily that they could see the neural correlations 324 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:49,119 Speaker 1: what was going on inside of their brain when they 325 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:51,520 Speaker 1: were lying, because they also took f M R I 326 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:55,199 Speaker 1: when they were UM, when they were essentially lying on 327 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:58,520 Speaker 1: those tests to see what was going on, all of 328 00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:01,320 Speaker 1: those brains, All the areas in the brain were active, 329 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:04,359 Speaker 1: all those areas that are trying to square two different 330 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:08,159 Speaker 1: pieces of information. Yes, yeah, that was definitely happening, and 331 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:10,560 Speaker 1: that is interesting in and of itself. But the really again, 332 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,639 Speaker 1: the really interesting thing was that it was the people 333 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:20,080 Speaker 1: who um who were trying to yeah that this this 334 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:23,400 Speaker 1: phony patient that it was okay. Those were the people 335 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:26,600 Speaker 1: who have the most activity. And then those were also 336 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:29,160 Speaker 1: the people who afterward continued to say that they had 337 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:33,320 Speaker 1: a good experience and that they changed their brain essentially, 338 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:37,280 Speaker 1: like they changed their actually their actions and their beliefs 339 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 1: based on this. Julie, there is there is a fan 340 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:43,480 Speaker 1: of Orwell somewhere out there on the internet listening to 341 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:46,280 Speaker 1: show right now, and they're waiting for us to say 342 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:49,800 Speaker 1: it you win, double think. It's it's almost it's it's 343 00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 1: kind of similar to that, and it sort of makes sense, 344 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:56,280 Speaker 1: because if you think about it, your cognitive dissonance is 345 00:20:56,359 --> 00:20:59,160 Speaker 1: sort of your brain asking why is this happening? Why 346 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:01,919 Speaker 1: am I doing this? Um? And now that I have 347 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:05,160 Speaker 1: that answer wrong, it makes sense that the people who 348 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:09,800 Speaker 1: are receiving an external reward or an external justification for 349 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 1: their line will find themselves uh less uh, you know, 350 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:20,080 Speaker 1: with less of a desire to internally retrofit their ideas. 351 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,480 Speaker 1: So they can say they can say, you know, well, 352 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:25,879 Speaker 1: of course I'm lying to these people. I'm getting a 353 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:28,880 Speaker 1: dollar every time. Let me lie to some more people. Yeah, sure, yeah, 354 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:31,880 Speaker 1: they don't really have any skin in the game emotionally. Yeah, 355 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:34,920 Speaker 1: that's a good point. But when you're trying to be involved, 356 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:39,560 Speaker 1: um and motivate someone, I guess in a in a 357 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:43,600 Speaker 1: in a qualified way, whether when your reward is something 358 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:46,600 Speaker 1: that is qualitative rather than quantitative. In this case, right, 359 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:49,919 Speaker 1: they're trying to make somebody feel better, and in the 360 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:53,360 Speaker 1: process of saying all these it's not that bad, it's 361 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:56,440 Speaker 1: not that boring, you're gonna have fun. In the process 362 00:21:56,480 --> 00:22:00,520 Speaker 1: of that, they're starting to um. So sort of pull 363 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:04,320 Speaker 1: the move that Merlin pulls in a Connecticut Yankee King 364 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:07,480 Speaker 1: Arthur's court. The Mark Twain book, Merlin makes the mistake 365 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:10,479 Speaker 1: of a lot of magicians and believes that his stuff 366 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:13,560 Speaker 1: is actual magic. And uh so you start to believe 367 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:16,359 Speaker 1: yourself as you sell these days. Well, I will tell you. 368 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 1: I'll give you a personal example, and it'll be a 369 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:21,960 Speaker 1: short one. But when we were at south By Southwest, 370 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,600 Speaker 1: I was at the Austin Airport and I was coming home, 371 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:28,359 Speaker 1: and it was overbooked, of course, and I had not 372 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:31,440 Speaker 1: had a seat confirmed yet, even though you know, I've 373 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:35,959 Speaker 1: had my um my arrangements made well in advance. And 374 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,639 Speaker 1: so what happened is I got bumped from that plane 375 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:41,280 Speaker 1: and I was rerouted to St. Paul, Minnesota, and then 376 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:45,440 Speaker 1: back down to Atlanta. St. Paul. Yeah, it was mad. 377 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:48,920 Speaker 1: It was steaming mad, understandable. It was like a love 378 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:50,879 Speaker 1: ster that had crawled out of the pot and I 379 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:55,720 Speaker 1: was seeking revenge. Um And they said, okay, well, and 380 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:57,359 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna tell you how much they paid me 381 00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:00,400 Speaker 1: for my inconveniences, but they paid me a considerable sum. 382 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:05,240 Speaker 1: And at the time I was like, yeah, whatever, money 383 00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:08,199 Speaker 1: doesn't matter. You're awful. But I can't tell them are 384 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:10,640 Speaker 1: awful because it's the principle of the things right, I did. 385 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:12,720 Speaker 1: I didn't actually say it's the principal thing, and thanks 386 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 1: a lot and whatever, um, And I have to say 387 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:18,800 Speaker 1: that ever since then, I applied that money to a 388 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:23,480 Speaker 1: mini vacation and the experience feels a lot less awful 389 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:25,680 Speaker 1: than it was, because it was it was like then 390 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:29,640 Speaker 1: it was, you know, another eight hours of travel, um, 391 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:31,320 Speaker 1: and so I want and so forth. But I'm going 392 00:23:31,359 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 1: to tell you that that sort of cognitive dissonance was 393 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:37,760 Speaker 1: dispelled by the folks at Delta. So I know that 394 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:40,840 Speaker 1: they're studying this, and you're now you're reaching the state 395 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:44,120 Speaker 1: of consonants where things are starting to fit together. Things 396 00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:48,200 Speaker 1: are fine, but kind a mini vacation. But here's the question. 397 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:50,680 Speaker 1: Oh and and just for the just for the goodies, 398 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 1: for the people who love the love the specifics and 399 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:56,760 Speaker 1: the anatomical Yeah, yeah, we should. We should talk about 400 00:23:56,760 --> 00:23:58,480 Speaker 1: the parts of the brain that that are letting up 401 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:02,080 Speaker 1: during that from R I, So, cognitive dissonance engages the 402 00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:07,520 Speaker 1: dorsal anterior singulate cortex and anterior insula. Yes, these are 403 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:09,280 Speaker 1: the parts that These are the parts that light up. 404 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:11,800 Speaker 1: If you want to look on a map of the brain, 405 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:14,680 Speaker 1: will not light up. I don't mean like someone's brain 406 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:18,000 Speaker 1: is made of LEDs. Right, but this is the blood 407 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:19,840 Speaker 1: is rushing to those parts of the rain. Sure the 408 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:24,480 Speaker 1: activity increases there during these cognitive dissonance things. And Julie, 409 00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:28,600 Speaker 1: I have to ask you, um, do you think that 410 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:32,479 Speaker 1: this experience uh in your personal life has given you 411 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:38,680 Speaker 1: a confirmation bias? Uh. I don't know that it's given 412 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:40,480 Speaker 1: me a confirmation bias, but I can tell you that 413 00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:44,440 Speaker 1: I've certainly felt or or have my own confirmation biases 414 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:48,359 Speaker 1: in my own life. And when we talk about confirmation bias, 415 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:51,679 Speaker 1: it's really similar to cognitive dissonance, and that again we 416 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 1: can't help but create patterns out of random randomness. Yes, 417 00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:58,760 Speaker 1: like the like the Supreme Court of the United States, 418 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:03,639 Speaker 1: the the human species. The human brain places a great 419 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:09,359 Speaker 1: value on precedent and on expectations that the past should 420 00:25:09,359 --> 00:25:13,199 Speaker 1: match the president in the future. Right. And there is 421 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:17,720 Speaker 1: a really interesting book, uh, Leonard Metal metalon though excuse me, 422 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:19,199 Speaker 1: only try that a gang, because I'm sure that at 423 00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:22,320 Speaker 1: least his his family would appreciate that I pronounced it correctly. 424 00:25:22,359 --> 00:25:26,480 Speaker 1: But Leonard Mallette. Now it's called Drunkard's Walk, and it's 425 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:29,640 Speaker 1: a book about randomness, and it turns chaos theory UM 426 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,200 Speaker 1: and Medlow is also the co writer of A Brief 427 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:36,520 Speaker 1: History Time with Stephen Hawking and for those of you 428 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:39,359 Speaker 1: that are interested in this, he's also the victor of 429 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 1: a YouTube face off with Depac Chopra on quantum entanglement 430 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:45,680 Speaker 1: and spirituality. And I know some people are going to 431 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:48,080 Speaker 1: love to check out that way. It's really it's actually 432 00:25:48,119 --> 00:25:50,960 Speaker 1: pretty great. Um. I definitely recommend it. But he talks 433 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:54,080 Speaker 1: about the confirmation bias UM and he says that when 434 00:25:54,119 --> 00:25:56,240 Speaker 1: we are in the grasp of an illusion, or for 435 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:58,760 Speaker 1: that matter, whenever we have a new idea, instead of 436 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:03,080 Speaker 1: searching for waste prove our ideas wrong, we usually attempt 437 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:06,040 Speaker 1: to prove them correct. Psychologists call this confirmation bias, and 438 00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:09,040 Speaker 1: it presents a major impediment to our ability to break 439 00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 1: free of the misinterpretation of randomness. Uh. And it goes 440 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:15,479 Speaker 1: on with to make matters worse. Not only do we 441 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:19,639 Speaker 1: preferentially seek evidence to confirm our preconceived notions, but we 442 00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:24,160 Speaker 1: also interpret ambiguous evidence in favor of our ideas. This 443 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:27,440 Speaker 1: can be a big problem because data are often ambiguous, 444 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:31,040 Speaker 1: so by ignoring some patterns and emphasizing others, our clever 445 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:33,960 Speaker 1: brains can reinforce their belief even in the absence of 446 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:36,400 Speaker 1: convincing data. Yeah. So, I mean that's what I think 447 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:40,520 Speaker 1: is interesting about confirmation confirmation biases. It is like cognitive dissonance, 448 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:44,359 Speaker 1: but this is more behavioral. I suppose um and and 449 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: again stems from our experiences and pointing back to what 450 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:50,200 Speaker 1: our expectations are. And I thought that was so fascinating 451 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:52,879 Speaker 1: about the not looking at the ways that we're wrong, 452 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:56,719 Speaker 1: because we always assume that we're right. Yeah, and and 453 00:26:56,920 --> 00:27:00,960 Speaker 1: a lot of and a lot of people, myself included, 454 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:04,440 Speaker 1: at times. You know, it's nobody's favorite thing to be wrong. No, 455 00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:06,679 Speaker 1: no's just around saying like, how are how am I 456 00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:10,360 Speaker 1: wrong in the following ways at this very moment. You know, Now, 457 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:13,760 Speaker 1: I I tried to do that when I'm working on 458 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:16,800 Speaker 1: something really important right before I put it out, because 459 00:27:17,359 --> 00:27:19,320 Speaker 1: you know, that's just but that's just sort of a 460 00:27:19,359 --> 00:27:23,560 Speaker 1: way to proof read or cross check yourself. And in 461 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:27,439 Speaker 1: the natural world, in informal situations that doesn't really happen. 462 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:30,200 Speaker 1: People want to know if you if you, for instance, 463 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:32,800 Speaker 1: believe that the moon landing is faked. When you're reading things, 464 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:38,440 Speaker 1: you're reading things science proves that you are reading things 465 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:43,720 Speaker 1: that will tend to reinforce your beliefs rather than denigratee 466 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:46,639 Speaker 1: or erode those beliefs. Right, You're often going to seek 467 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:52,919 Speaker 1: out information that that corroberates what you're thinking. Essentially. Yeah, um, 468 00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:55,399 Speaker 1: but I wanted to give you an example actually of 469 00:27:56,440 --> 00:28:01,639 Speaker 1: confirmation bias. I think that we have year perpetuated by me. 470 00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:05,919 Speaker 1: And this is from a listener emails from Russ Smith 471 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:09,000 Speaker 1: and he says, hey, guys, Russ and Alliance, ohio here, 472 00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:10,920 Speaker 1: I love the show. I'm a college student and listen 473 00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:13,920 Speaker 1: to your podcast all the time walking to and from class. 474 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:16,880 Speaker 1: But as a side note, you should always be aware 475 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:19,480 Speaker 1: of your surroundings, especially when you're walking by yourself or 476 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:22,440 Speaker 1: in the dark. That's true. Just a small correction though. 477 00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 1: In one of your recent podcast you mentioned the lorax 478 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 1: cutting down needs. The lorax was speaking for the excuse me, 479 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:34,760 Speaker 1: I flew up that, I'm sorry, um, cutting down trees, 480 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:38,240 Speaker 1: not needs and causing the environmental change. In fact, it 481 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:41,000 Speaker 1: was the onceler who cut down the trees to make 482 00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:44,200 Speaker 1: the needs. The Lorax was speaking for the trees against 483 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:48,120 Speaker 1: the onesler all the best, Russ. Okay, so that was 484 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:51,240 Speaker 1: me Um, and I do this all the time. Always 485 00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:53,800 Speaker 1: when I mean to talk about the on Sler, I 486 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:57,840 Speaker 1: always talk about the Lorax because in my mind it's 487 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:01,960 Speaker 1: acts cutting down or and I cannot square it. And 488 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:04,240 Speaker 1: it drives me nuts because honestly, I read this book 489 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 1: at least once a week to my two year old, 490 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:11,440 Speaker 1: not just my own personal reading. So anyway, so confirmation bias, 491 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:15,120 Speaker 1: confirmation bias right there. Well, actually that's not conformation, that's 492 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:18,680 Speaker 1: cognitive dissonance. Excuse me. So yeah, I mean there, that's 493 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:21,040 Speaker 1: in action right there. My brain is trying to square it. 494 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:24,880 Speaker 1: So myth mufford move on my part. Oh, but that's 495 00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:27,040 Speaker 1: just part of the human conditions. So now we have 496 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:31,160 Speaker 1: a final proof, Um, as some of the conspiracy fans 497 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:33,640 Speaker 1: of asked me, we have final proof that at least 498 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:35,480 Speaker 1: one of the people who works at ausup works is 499 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 1: not a robot or an android. Yes, that is a 500 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:43,560 Speaker 1: real letter that I received. Yeah, but I mean you're 501 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:45,320 Speaker 1: kind of shimmering a little bit. I mean, how do 502 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:47,640 Speaker 1: I know that you're not, you know, a Hall of 503 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:51,680 Speaker 1: Graham like beamed in here by the illuminati. That's a 504 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:54,880 Speaker 1: that's a great question, and that might be that might 505 00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:57,800 Speaker 1: be a podcast that goes uh more more on my end. 506 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:01,440 Speaker 1: Uh we have we have you guys. So, um, well, 507 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 1: some people would say that, uh. Some people say, A, 508 00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:08,720 Speaker 1: that's that's ridiculous because the technology doesn't exist. But people 509 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:12,320 Speaker 1: who already believe that, of course, would say, no, person a, 510 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:16,760 Speaker 1: you're being ridiculous because that technology does exist, and it's 511 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 1: obviously been suppressed for thousands of years. Insert various building 512 00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:25,800 Speaker 1: blocks of existing thought or existing school thought there. Um, 513 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:30,240 Speaker 1: people will uh in almost you know, it's easier to 514 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:34,239 Speaker 1: describe this in terms of conspiracy theories, but this is 515 00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:39,400 Speaker 1: a common phenomenon in the human brain, both cognitive distance 516 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:43,080 Speaker 1: and confirmation bias. I don't know, I just you're shimmering again. 517 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:46,200 Speaker 1: And now I'm starting to think maybe you've just been 518 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:49,160 Speaker 1: sent to talk about this and maybe make me think 519 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:54,040 Speaker 1: that the moon landing actually was not a hoax and 520 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:58,960 Speaker 1: you were sent here, weren't you. Well, that is a 521 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:02,600 Speaker 1: very interesting question that we cannot answer completely. I am 522 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:05,840 Speaker 1: not at liberty to divulge that. And all right, fine, 523 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:10,000 Speaker 1: well you're confirming or denying it. I have some uh, 524 00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:13,840 Speaker 1: some great news, which is that our own science guru, 525 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:18,360 Speaker 1: Robert Lamb, will be returning uh very soon. That's right, 526 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,600 Speaker 1: that's right, and we'll be talking about what should be 527 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:24,560 Speaker 1: talking about Flange's next week and why we have five 528 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:27,440 Speaker 1: on each hand, which is such a good question. It 529 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:29,880 Speaker 1: is it Actually, it's really fascinating, so we'll explore that. 530 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:32,560 Speaker 1: But before we wrap up today, I just wanted to 531 00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:35,480 Speaker 1: give a really quick shout out to Rich Miles. It 532 00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:40,240 Speaker 1: is your birthday. Happy birthday, birthday, March one. Um. He 533 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:47,040 Speaker 1: is in Laramie, Wyoming, and Nicole and his uh girlfriend 534 00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:51,720 Speaker 1: Mica actually wanted to to give you a shout out, so, um, 535 00:31:52,120 --> 00:31:56,000 Speaker 1: it's your birthday, your birthday. We won't do that too much, 536 00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:58,680 Speaker 1: but really, I hope you have a wonderful birthday. And 537 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:01,640 Speaker 1: thank you so much for listening. And I would love 538 00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:04,840 Speaker 1: to know Ben Bullen. Yes, Julie, can you tell us 539 00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:09,040 Speaker 1: where people can reach you, how they can find you 540 00:32:08,920 --> 00:32:12,680 Speaker 1: and your various forms holographic forms. Oh yes, yes, you 541 00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:15,520 Speaker 1: can find you can find car stuff stuff then want 542 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:20,480 Speaker 1: you to know um and stuff of genus on Facebook, Twitter, 543 00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:24,440 Speaker 1: We've got got blogs. Um. Also, let me pass the 544 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:28,320 Speaker 1: shout out baton to our own John Fuller, of course, 545 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:31,680 Speaker 1: who has written this excellent article about the moon landings. 546 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:35,520 Speaker 1: Now you can. You can find John's article, along with 547 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:40,320 Speaker 1: several other interesting, fascinating articles, on the website how stuff 548 00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:43,120 Speaker 1: works dot com. You've probably heard about our handy search bar. 549 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:46,240 Speaker 1: That's right, just pop it in there, and you can 550 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:49,200 Speaker 1: also find stuff to blow your mind at blow the 551 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:51,880 Speaker 1: mind at Facebook and Twitter, and you can also drop 552 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:54,200 Speaker 1: us note let us know what your favorite conspiracy theory 553 00:32:54,280 --> 00:32:56,320 Speaker 1: is at and blow the mind at how stuff works 554 00:32:56,360 --> 00:33:03,360 Speaker 1: dot com. For more on this and thousands of other topics, 555 00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:05,880 Speaker 1: visit how stuff works dot com. To learn more about 556 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:08,720 Speaker 1: the podcast, click on the podcast icon in the upper 557 00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:11,920 Speaker 1: right corner of our homepage. The how stuff Works iPhone 558 00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:14,880 Speaker 1: app has a ride. 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