I Don't Want to Be Right Summary and Response

In Maria Konnikova’s 2014 article, I Don’t Want to be Right, the way people’s beliefs affect the way they interpret information is discussed in detail. Konnikova states that many people have false beliefs, and that people in power have to try and figure out a better way to present information in a way that is less threatening. She claims that people often feel threatened when something that is extraordinarily important to them is contradicted. When people have a strong belief, they will do their best to get rid of the information that question how they view things. However, if people do not feel as strongly about something, they will easily change their viewpoint. She questions why this is so, and discusses a variety of studies that prove her point on how people perceive information. Her conclusion was that people’s views depend on their identity, not how they view politics. She brings up a theory created by Claude Steele which states, “when people feel their sense of self threatened by the outside world, they are strongly motivated to correct the misperception, be it by reasoning away the inconsistency or by modifying their behavior.” Konnikova’s conclusions is that presenting people with constant facts and science will never be effective. However, presenting things in a non-ideological way that removes broader notions, would be more effective. This will be a challenge, Konnikova says, due to the way prominent figures who do not have any medical expertise state their opinion. While it is a work in progress, Konnikova believes that it is possible to change people’s perceptions on things like Climate Change, race, and vaccinations.

Konnikova and Mooney share various ideas regarding the way people perceive facts. Money’s concept of Confirmation and Disconfirmation bias is represented in Konnikova’s article when she mentions that when peoples ideas are threatened, they will naturally discard the information that is contradicting them. Both authors believe that people reject what could undermine their beliefs that are important to them. They also both state that information should be presented to people in different ways so they do not become defensive. Mooney, however, emphasizes doing so with presenting values to people, while Konnikova urges us to stop trying to mention peoples identities and values. Unlike Mooney, Konnikova mentions the self-affirmation theory, something created by Claude Steele. This theory states that, “when people feel their sense of self threatened by the outside world, they are strongly motivated to correct the misperception, be it by reasoning away the inconsistency or by modifying their behavior…Steele proposes an exercise in self-affirmation: either write down or say aloud positive moments from your past that reaffirm your sense of self and are related to the threat in question.” By reminding yourself of good things, we become more broad-minded. It allows people’s attitudes to become more accurate. While both authors make strong points, it is clear that we need to start portraying knowledge and information in a different way because people often feel threatened by things that are unfamiliar and perhaps oppose their ideas.