Why do facts not matter to some people?

Actually, facts do matter to everyone, but psychologically speaking, most people tend to interpret information with an eye toward reinforcing their preexisting views. If we believe something about the world, we are more likely to passively accept as truth any information that confirms our beliefs, and actively dismiss information that doesn’t. This is known as “motivated reasoning.” Whether or not the consistent information is accurate, we might accept it as fact, as confirmation of our beliefs. This makes us more confident in said beliefs, and even less likely to entertain facts that contradict them.

Anyone who strongly devoted to a set of ideas or beliefs, generally comes to them over a long period of time. Think of their brain as a dam. If the dam starts to crack, it deteriorates. If the dam breaks, then they have to question everything they’ve learned and known to be completely true for the last x years.

That means their friends, everything they’ve read, everything their parents taught them, everything their culture taught them could be a lie.

With that math, you have two choices:

1. ignore the one fact in front of you, or
2. accept it and question every belief you’ve ever had about everything you know.

Number two is too large a leap for the majority of people.

And, sophisticated thinkers were even less open to new information than less sophisticated types. These people may be factually right about 90 percent of things, but their confidence makes it nearly impossible to correct the 10 percent on which they’re totally wrong. Told you what, engaged sophisticated thinkers are “the very folks on whom theory relies most heavily.”

Now you know why.