Why tribalism trumps truth
It often takes more than facts to change people’s minds
How often have you experienced the following?
You are trying to convince a reasonable-seeming person that his opinion on a certain subject is wrong. You support your point of view with facts and arguments that seem irrefutable to you. You’re sure this reasonable-seeming individual will see reality and admit that he is wrong. But instead he remains convinced that he is right and continues to defend his opinion. How can he be so irrational? Why can’t he see he is wrong? What’s wrong with him?
The other person probably has similar thoughts about you.
Tribalism trumps truth
Humans evolved over about two million years in small tribes of a few dozen individuals, and until around 12.000 years ago they hunted animals and gathered food. This long pre-agricultural period has adapted our brains to a tribal life of hunting and gathering, and shaped many of our current psychological characteristics.
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors needed a detailed mental map of their immediate environment to survive in a harsh and dangerous world. They had to know where they could find shelter, water, fruits, seeds, nuts, honey, vegetables and game animals. They needed to know the location of predators and what foods were poisonous. They had to know about the seasons, the growth patterns of plants, the habits of animals and much more. The closer their mental model of the world was to reality, so the truer it was, the better it helped them survive. We are sensible animals, hardwired to seek the truth.
To survive, our hunter-gatherer ancestors had to be part of a tribe. Defying the tribe’s beliefs was a bad idea, because being banished from the tribe was an almost certain death sentence. Without the tribe, we would be killed by a predator, murdered by members of a neighbouring tribe, or starve to death. In order to share the tribe’s beliefs, the human mind developed the ability to believe things that are not necessarily true. We are social animals, hardwired to be tribal.
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors were member of only one tribe, but nowadays we can be members of multiple tribes. On a personal level, this could be the family we were born into, our circle of friends, or communities in which we actively participate, such as a local church community, sports team, or spiritual community. On a larger scale, we can feel connected to the city or nation we live in, our favourite sports team, or the political party we support.
We like to think of ourselves as rational beings who put the search for truth above all else. But when was the last time you changed your mind because of a fact someone told you? It often benefits us more to stay connected to our tribes than to believe the truth of a particular idea. Being accepted trumps being correct.
👉 Person A holds on to the religious beliefs instilled in him by his parents because he does not want to alienate himself from them.
👉 Person B has adopted the interests and points of view of her friends because she wants to maintain a good relationship with them.
👉 Person C doesn’t believe the claims of sexual abuse against his spiritual guru, out of loyalty to the guru’s community.
If we believe something just to stay connected to a tribe, facts will not change our mind about this belief. We don’t really care if it’s true or not. Tribalism trumps truth because from an evolutionary point of view our survival depended on our ability to stay connected to our tribe.
To bond with our tribe, we can believe anything that doesn't affect our chances of survival too much.
👉 Members of spiritual tribes generally believe in the existence of a universal consciousness, life after death, that everything happens for a reason, the seven major chakras, the ability to communicate with the dead, and the existence of nonphysical spirit guides that guide and support us.
👉 Members of political tribes typically share beliefs about the (dis)advantages of immigration, the (non)existence of climate change, the (in)effectiveness of foreign aid and the (non) restriction of the freedom of speech.
👉 Members of religious tribes may share beliefs about the existence of one or more gods, the sanctity of certain texts, the importance of certain rituals, and the ways in which people should behave.
When tribal loyalties are involved, it will be very difficult to change people’s minds about a belief. Convincing them to change their mind is equivalent to convincing them to change their tribe. As a result, they would lose their social relationships with members of the tribe.
There’s also a degree of confirmation bias: we tend to search for and favour information that supports our pre-existing beliefs, and tend to ignore or devalue information that contradicts these beliefs.
How can we convince others to change their mind?
Let’s say that in order to make the world a better place, you want to convince someone to change their mind about an important topic. How can you achieve that?
We mistakenly think that facts alone should change another person’s opinion. In reality, that’s not how it works. As I asked before: when was the last time you changed your mind because of a fact someone told you?
There are a few things we can do to increase the chances of someone changing their mind.
⚒️ Listen to understand
Listen with the intent to really understand the point of view of others, rather than trying to change their mind. Be genuinely interested in what the other person has to say and be curious about their experience.
If we try to change someone’s mind, they are likely to become defensive and hold on to their beliefs even more. The less we try to force our views on someone, the freer they will feel to reflect on their beliefs. And who knows, they might even change their mind of their own accord.
⚒️ Build a foundation of respect and friendship
Facts coming from people we don’t respect or like can’t change our mind. We are more likely to pay attention to facts if they come from someone we respect and like.
Building a foundation of friendship makes it easier for the other person to change their mind. By including them in our tribe, their change of belief will not leave them without social bonds.
Build a foundation of respect and friendship by not only discussing controversial topics, but by getting to know others better. Invite them for a meal. Talk to them about personal topics, such as their early years, or the biggest personal challenges they’ve faced. This can give you more insight into how they got their beliefs, and may make it easier for you to empathise with them.
References
Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari
How to reduce confirmation bias, A3 Life Design, by Adrie Kuil, https://www.a3lifedesign.com/blog-english/how-to-reduce-confirmation-bias
Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds, by James Clear, https://jamesclear.com/why-facts-dont-change-minds
Changing Minds: It Takes More than Facts, Farnam Street, https://fs.blog/facts-are-not-enough/
Here’s Why Tribalism Trumps Truth, Psychology Today, by Mike Brooks Ph. D. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/tech-happy-life/202009/heres-why-tribalism-trumps-truth
How Politically Biased Are You? Try This Quick Test!, Psychology Today, by Mike Brooks Ph. D. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/tech-happy-life/202009/how-politically-biased-are-you-try-quick-test
Why Is It So Hard to Change People’s Minds?, Greater Good Magazine, by Elizabeth Svoboda, https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_is_it_so_hard_to_change_peoples_minds