[How About This Book] How to Persuade Those Who Believe Fake News and Fall into Conspiracy Theories...

Do not deny scientific facts but interpret them differently
Listen carefully and approach with storytelling
Help them realize on their own that they are wrong

Charlie Beach was a leader in conspiracy theory communities. He believed that the 9/11 attacks were a government-fabricated hoax. His main source of income came from numerous YouTube videos focused on anarchism and conspiracy theories. Many of these videos had over one million views. Charlie and other conspiracy theorists claimed that the explosion and fire temperatures caused by the airplane fuel during the 9/11 attacks were not sufficient to melt the steel beams of the World Trade Center, and that the buildings collapsed straight down as if they were deliberately demolished using a planned demolition method.

In June 2011, ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, he appeared on a broadcast. The program aimed to challenge conspiracy theorists’ beliefs by taking them to meet experts and witnesses who could present undeniable evidence and facts. Beach spent ten days traveling through New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, visiting the sites of the attacks. He met experts in explosives, architecture, and aviation, as well as victims’ families and government officials. He also experienced simulator training and landed a single-engine plane on a runway.

During this process, explosive expert Brent Blanchard scientifically refuted the conspiracy theorists’ claims. He explained that if the 9/11 attacks had been a planned demolition, explosives would have needed to be placed inside the inner walls and columns of the World Trade Center for the collapse to occur. Regarding the buildings collapsing straight down, he said that the upper parts of the buildings were destroyed, causing a chain reaction due to the shifted load, and that the collapse was not a vertical free fall but rather the debris flying outward. He added that the collapse could occur even if the steel beams did not melt. From that point, Beach’s expression became confused.

He also met the families of passengers on the plane that was hijacked and crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. According to David McRaney, author of How to Change Their Minds (Woongjin Knowledge House), who participated in the broadcast, Beach said, "Something suddenly went ‘pop!’ inside me." Beach ended his five-year involvement in conspiracy theories. Among the many conspiracy theorists who participated in the broadcast, he was the only one to experience such a change. The others spread new conspiracy theories such as "a psychologist brainwashed Beach" or "Beach was actually an intelligence agent sent to undermine the conspiracy theory community."

Why does this phenomenon occur? The author explains using the example of the “dress controversy.” The controversy began with a photo taken by a woman named Cecilia Blissdale at a London shopping mall, where she bought a $77 dress for her daughter’s wedding. The color of the dress in the photo appeared differently to different viewers. Some said it was “blue and black,” while others said “white and gold.” As the photo spread on social media, the controversy intensified. On Twitter, the hashtag #TheDress was tweeted 11,000 times per minute. Actress Mindy Kaling voted for “blue and black,” while Kim Kardashian chose “white and gold.”

The confusion was clarified by neuroscientist Pascal. He explained that when the human brain encounters unfamiliar and ambiguous objects, it creates what “should exist” rather than what “actually exists.” Pascal emphasized, "The photo appears overexposed, making the background look washed out and causing the dress color to be ambiguous. Because of this, people’s brains reduce the effect of the assumed light source to resolve the ambiguity." Over the next two years, Pascal conducted experiments with over 10,000 participants and found that people accustomed to yellowish artificial lighting tended to see the dress as “blue and black.”

This provides a basis for explaining why interpretations of the same phenomenon can vary. Conspiracy theorists do not deny scientific facts but interpret them differently and believe that powerful groups intentionally deceive people.

Beach was fortunate to escape conspiracy theories, but others were not. Can their thinking be artificially corrected? If so, how? The author introduces methods of listening and storytelling. First, clarify that there is no intention to criticize or embarrass the other person and establish rapport. Then, ask them to present their claims and confirm understanding by asking questions. Define terms clearly using the other person’s language. Also, ask them to express their confidence level in their claims numerically and inquire about the reasons for their confidence. Ask about the methods they used to judge the reasons and validity, and focus on those.

Is it simple? The author says that many people reconsidered their claims and changed through this method alone. The key is “inducing metacognition.” According to the author, rather than trying to persuade by refuting and presenting new evidence, encouraging people to reflect on the foundations of their mistaken beliefs themselves leads to greater effect. It is important to provide opportunities for thought so that falsehoods collapse on their own. The author paradoxically states, "We must contemplate the possibility that we might be wrong."

How to Change Their Minds | David McRaney | Translated by Lee Su-kyung | 444 pages | 20,000 KRW