{"id":251,"date":"2023-02-20T10:24:58","date_gmt":"2023-02-20T10:24:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onlineenglishcafe.com\/?page_id=251"},"modified":"2023-03-20T12:17:40","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T12:17:40","slug":"why-facts-dont-change-minds","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/onlineenglishcafe.com\/?page_id=251","title":{"rendered":"Why Facts Don’t Change Minds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n
B2\/C1 Level<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

B1 Level<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

A2 Level<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Humans need to have a reasonably accurate view of the world in order to survive. However, truth and accuracy are not the only things that matter to the human mind. Humans also seem to have a deep desire to belong. It has been written that \u201cHumans are herd<\/strong> animals. We want to fit in<\/strong>, to bond with others, and to earn the respect and approval of our peers. Such inclinations<\/strong> are essential to our survival. For most of our evolutionary history, our ancestors lived in tribes. Becoming separated from the tribe\u2014or worse, being cast out<\/strong>\u2014was a death sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Understanding the truth of a situation is important, but so is remaining part of a tribe. While these two desires often work well together, they occasionally come into conflict. In many circumstances<\/span>, social connection is actually<\/span> more helpful to your daily life than understanding the truth of a particular fact or idea. The Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker put it this way, \u201cPeople are embraced<\/strong> or condemned<\/strong> according to their beliefs, so one function of the mind may be to hold beliefs that bring the belief-holder the greatest number of allies, protectors, or disciples, rather than beliefs that are most likely to be true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t always believe things because they are correct. Sometimes we believe things because they make us look good to the people we care about. False beliefs can be useful in a social sense even if they are not useful in a factual sense. For lack of a better phrase, we might call this approach \u201cfactually false, but socially accurate.\u201d When we have to choose between the two, people often select friends and family over facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Comprehension<\/summary>
\n

1) Why is it important for humans to have a reasonably accurate view of the world?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) How do the desires for truth and accuracy compare to the desire to belong in the human mind?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) How does the Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker explain the relationship between beliefs and social connections?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Vocabulary<\/summary>
\n

Match the words to the definition<\/span>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) herd                                  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) fit in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) inclinations<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) cast out<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5) embraced<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6) condemned<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a) a tendency to act or think in a particular way<\/p>\n\n\n\n

b) reject from a group or community<\/p>\n\n\n\n

c) a group of animals that live together<\/p>\n\n\n\n

d) to accept, literally to hug<\/p>\n\n\n\n

e) to be part of a particular group<\/p>\n\n\n\n

f) express strong disapproval<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Grammar Highlights<\/summary>
\n

Be sure not to put your adverb and time expression in the wrong place:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn many circumstances<\/span>, social connection is actually<\/span> more helpful to your daily life than\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

*This article was adapted from another article to make it more suitable for English learners. You can read the original article here<\/a>.<\/sub><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

B2\/C1 Level<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
B1 Level<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

A2 Level<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Humans need a good understanding of the world around them to survive. However, knowing the truth is not the only thing that matters<\/strong> to us. We also want to be a part of a group or a community. This desire to belong is important for our survival because for most of human history, we lived in groups. If we were separated from our group, it could mean death.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, our desire to belong conflicts<\/strong> with our need to know the truth. In some situations, being part of a group or community is more important than knowing the truth. Steven Pinker, a psychologist from Harvard University, said that people are often judged<\/strong> based on their beliefs. Therefore, people may hold beliefs that make them popular with others, even if those beliefs are not true.  These false beliefs can be helpful in a social sense even if they are not helpful in terms of<\/strong> knowing the truth. When we have to choose between the two, we often choose our friends and family over facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

To change someone’s mind, we must first become friends with them and integrate them into our group or community. This way, they can change their beliefs without the risk of being rejected<\/strong> socially. Sharing meals with people who have different beliefs is a good way to promote tolerance<\/strong> and understanding between different groups. Proximity, or being close to someone, can help us understand and accept them better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Comprehension<\/summary>
\n

1) Why is it important for humans to be part of a group?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) What is the conflict between for truth and the desire to belong?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) What does Steven Pinker say about the relationship between beliefs and social connections?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Vocabulary<\/summary>
\n

Match the words to the definition<\/span>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) matter                               <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) conflict<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) judge<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) in terms of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5) reject<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6) tolerance<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a) related to a particular topic<\/p>\n\n\n\n

b) to form an opinion of someone or something<\/p>\n\n\n\n

c) don\u2019t match or go together<\/p>\n\n\n\n

d) acceptance of others<\/p>\n\n\n\n

e) something that is important<\/p>\n\n\n\n

f) to say no to something<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Grammar Highlights<\/summary>
\n

Use second conditional for hypothetical situations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we were separated<\/span> from our group, it could mean<\/span> death\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

*This article was adapted from another article to make it more suitable for English learners. You can read the original article here<\/a>.<\/sub><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

B2\/C1 Level<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

B1 Level<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
A2 Level<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Humans need to understand the world to survive. But, knowing the truth is not the only thing that is important to us. We also want<\/span> to be part of a group or community. This is important because for most of human history, we lived in groups. If we were separated from our group, it could mean death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, wanting to belong<\/strong> and understanding the truth don’t match. In some situations, being part of a group is more important than knowing the truth. A Harvard University psychologist said that people are often judged<\/strong> based on their beliefs. So, people may believe things that make them popular with others, even if those beliefs are not true.  These false beliefs can be helpful<\/strong> in a social way but not helpful for knowing the truth. When we have to choose between the two, we often choose our friends and family over facts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

To change someone’s mind, we first need to be friends with them and include them in our group or community. This way, they can change their beliefs without the fear of being rejected<\/strong> socially. Sharing meals<\/strong> with people who have different beliefs is also<\/span> a good way to promote understanding between different groups. Being close to someone can help us understand and accept them better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Comprehension<\/summary>
\n

1) Why is it important for humans to be part of a group?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) When is a time when someone doesn\u2019t care about the truth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) What do we need to do to change someone\u2019s mind?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Vocabulary<\/summary>
\n

Match the words to the definition<\/span>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) belong                               <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) judge<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) helpful<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) facts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5) reject<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6) meals<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a) to be part of a group<\/p>\n\n\n\n

b) to form an opinion of someone<\/p>\n\n\n\n

c) something that is true, not an opinion<\/p>\n\n\n\n

d) a time when you eat, breakfast, lunch and dinner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

e) something that helps you<\/p>\n\n\n\n

f) to say no to something<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Grammar Highlights<\/summary>
\n

Use adverbs before the main verb, but after the verb \u201cto be\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe also wan<\/span>t to be\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSharing meals with people who have different beliefs is also<\/span> a good way\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

*This article was adapted from another article to make it more suitable for English learners. You can read the original article here<\/a>.<\/sub><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

B2\/C1 Level B1 Level A2 Level Humans need to have a reasonably accurate view of the world in order to survive. However, truth and accuracy are not the only things that matter to the human mind. Humans also seem to have a deep desire to belong. It has been written that \u201cHumans are herd animals. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":135,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"hide_page_title":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-251","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlineenglishcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlineenglishcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlineenglishcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlineenglishcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlineenglishcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=251"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/onlineenglishcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":553,"href":"https:\/\/onlineenglishcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/251\/revisions\/553"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlineenglishcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlineenglishcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}