Belief perseverance is the tendency to cling to our initial belief even after receiving new information that contradicts or dis-confirms the basis of that belief.
A few example in my life where belief perseverance has 'clouded' my judgment:
1. I grew up in the 80's. Bagels and pasta were considered a health food because they were low in fat. I used to eat an entire package of Snackwell's cookies and not feel bad because they were fat free (sidenote: they were loaded with chemicals and sugar). I still struggle with the fact that meat and fat are actually good for you, while carbs and low-fat products are bad for you. And, while I know the science, it is still hard to make the mind-shift.
2. I think back to a relationship I had. He WAS a good guy (truth be told, he IS a good guy). He would NEVER cheat on me. Even when I saw evidence that he was unfaithful, I tried so hard to convince myself he wasn't because that isn't who I believed he was. It took a mountain of evidence for me to realize what was happening. My belief that "he would never..." held on tight, despite the mounting evidence.
3. Think back to the last presidential election. The mountain of social media posts, some true and some untrue, aren't swaying anyone's minds. We have our minds made up, and when confronted with conflicting evidence (even if it's true), it's not likely to sway our opinions.
4. Okay, this is a touchy one ~ and I don't mean to offend anyone here, but I think it is a great example of belief perseverance and how strong that force can be. I'm a Christian. I believe in the Bible. I also am a scientist and believe in the scientific process. There are several issues where science and the Bible don't jive and it is very hard for me to reconcile that fact. Where there are discrepancies, the belief I held first typically wins out, even if I am presented with information that contradicts my initial belief.
5. Another touchy subject: The belief that if the government says it's true or good, we accept that it is true. I don't mean to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I have to admit in my early 20's I was naive to the fact on how our government operated. I believed they made decisions off of research... the more I start to understand politics, I understand this is not at all the case. Politics are extremely murky and often follow a money trail or some political agenda more than hard evidence.
6. Some people hold the erroneous belief that autism is caused vaccinations. There was some bad science that came out in the 90's on this topic. The media and celebrities jumped on the study and were very vocal about the findings, even though the research design was flawed. Once a plethora of new evidence was presented to debunk the finding, some people still cling very closely to this belief.
Our minds are incredibly powerful things ~ and sometimes that is a blessing and sometimes that is a curse.
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