YANSS 236 – How Minds Change

In this episode I read an excerpt from my new book How Minds Change detailing the time I spent with canvassers in Los Angeles who went door to door testing different ways to change minds among those opposed to abortion rights, and Chris Clearfield interviews me about that very same book – which is out now and available everywhere.

You can read a sample chapter at this link, and you can subscribe to the new newsletter at this one.

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A brain-bending investigation of why some people never change their minds—and others do in an instant—by the bestselling author of You Are Not So Smart

What made a prominent conspiracy-theorist YouTuber finally see that 9/11 was not a hoax? How do voter opinions shift from neutral to resolute? Can widespread social change only take place when a generation dies out? From one of our greatest thinkers on reasoning, HOW MINDS CHANGE is a book about the science, and the experience, of transformation. 

When self-delusion expert and psychology nerd David McRaney began a book about how to change someone’s mind in one conversation, he never expected to change his own. But then a diehard 9/11 Truther’s conversion blew up his theories—inspiring him to ask not just how to persuade, but why we believe, from the eye of the beholder.

Delving into the latest research of psychologists and neuroscientists, HOW MINDS CHANGE explores the limits of reasoning, the power of groupthink, and the effects of deep canvassing.

Told with McRaney’s trademark sense of humor, compassion, and scientific curiosity, it’s an eye-opening journey among cult members, conspiracy theorists, and political activists, from Westboro Baptist Church picketers to LGBTQ campaigners in California – that ultimately challenges us to question our own motives and beliefs. In an age of dangerous conspiratorial thinking, can we rise to the occasion with empathy? 

An expansive, big-hearted journalistic narrative, HOW MINDS CHANGE reaches surprising and thought-provoking conclusions, to demonstrate the rare but transformative circumstances under which minds can change. 

Bite size book reading: pic.twitter.com/F7QQff4X5y

— David McRaney (@davidmcraney) June 21, 2022

ADVANCED PRAISE FOR HOW MINDS CHANGE

“If you join David McRaney on this journey — a spirited tour that ranges from activists to scientists to cultists — you’ll arrive in an unexpected place. He shows us how generous conversations can replace zero-sum debates and how genuine empathy can close deep divisions. HOW MINDS CHANGE is the ideal book for our perilous moment.” – Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Regret, To Sell is Human, and Drive

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“A riveting read on the art and science of persuasion. David McRaney’s brilliant book will force you to rethink your views about how to motivate other people to rethink theirs. In a time when too many minds seem closed, this is a masterful analysis of what it takes to open them.” – Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the podcast WorkLife

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“Filled with the kinds of captivating real-life stories that you can’t wait to tell your friends and the latest scientific insights from psychology and beyond, McRaney’s book provides a surprising glimpse into why changing human minds is so damn hard… but also the good news that it can in fact be possible with the right strategies.” – Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology at Yale University and host of The Happiness Lab podcast

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“When I first talked to David McRaney about How Minds Change, I found myself taking mad notes on everything he was explaining to me! Thank goodness he wrote the book so I can relax and just soak it all in!” – Simon Sinek, New York Times bestselling author of Start with Why and The Infinite Game

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“A timely, informative, and encouraging case for why the craziness paralyzing our society may not be permanent, and a refreshingly actionable proposal for changing ourselves, among others.” – Douglas Rushkoff, bestselling author of Team Human, Present Shock, and Coercion

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“David McRaney is one of our finest science communicators and How Minds Change is his greatest achievement yet. Brilliantly smart, continually entertaining and utterly timely, it will change the way you see the world – and help you change others.” – Will Storr, author of Selfie, The Science of Storytelling, The Status Game, and The Unpersuadables

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“McRaney’s the best science writer I know at this complex, fascinating subject — the fabric of our thought and beliefs. ‘How Minds Change’ is a page-turner, filled with remarkable reporting and stories.” – Clive Thompson, author of Coders: The Making of A New Tribe and the Remaking of the World

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“McRaney’s topic in How Minds Change couldn’t be more important, and he’s the perfect guide to it: warm, witty, and powered by an infectious curiosity.” – Julia Galef, host of the Rationally Speaking podcast and author of The Scout Mindset

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“David McRaney changed my mind about changing minds. If you want to be a better thinker and citizen and aren’t ready to give up on the world, this book is a must-read.” – A. J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically

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“This book is a fascinating journey through the neuroscience and psychology of how we form and update our opinions. How Minds Change is the book our society desperately needs right now.” – Scott Barry Kaufman, founder of the Center for the Science of Human Potential and author of Transcend

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“HOW MINDS CHANGE brings us face to face with the radically weird science of how our thoughts, perceptions, and beliefs are actually formed, and how they can, for better or worse, be modified. The sensation this book creates of being a bit of a stranger to one’s own mind is not entirely comfortable, but it is surely worthwhile.” – Jordan Ellenberg, New York Times bestselling author of Shape and How Not to Be Wrong

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“Read this book cover to cover–it will change how you feel about tackling one of the most difficult relationship challenges: Changing the minds of the people we care about, without damaging the relationship itself.” – Tessa West, NYU psychology professor and author of Jerks at Work

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“There is perhaps no greater nut to crack than how we can more easily change minds, including our own, in the face of compelling evidence. David McRaney has turned his attention to this important problem in recent years and shares the surprising nature of why minds do and do not change. In these contentious times, it’s heartening to have David’s book on hand — to teach us about burgeoning research into effectively changing minds and how it might be more achievable in certain contexts than we might think.” – Maya Shankar, former Chair of the White House Behavioral Science Team and Behavioral Science Advisor to the United Nations, host of the podcast, A Slight Change of Plans.

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“One of the most powerful traits of humanity is our capacity to not only update our own beliefs, but also change the minds of others. David McRaney provides a tour de force on how we can persuade others without relying on coercion.” – Jay Van Bavel, director of the NYU Social Identity & Morality Lab and author of The Power of Us

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“In an era where people feel separated by polarization and tribalism, David goes beyond simple academic concepts and provides concrete strategies to create meaningful conversations that can shift perspectives and connect people.” – Jon Levy, NYT bestselling author of You’re Invited

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“This is a must-read manual for anyone interested in the seemingly impossible task of changing people’s minds. Discover the science behind how we form beliefs, attitudes, and values, and the surprisingly simple way our views can shift.” – Logan Ury, author of How To Not Die Alone

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“David McRaney, more than just about anybody, has devoted his life to exploring the surprising tricks that our minds play on us. He is a master of using fascinating stories to teach us important principles of psychology. While David’s previous work focused on how reasoning and decision-making so often go wrong and how we manage to convince ourselves we’re right, now he is tackling the other side of the coin: how it is that we sometimes dramatically change our minds.” – Spencer Greenberg, host of the Clearer Thinking podcast and CEO of Spark Wave.

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“That very rare thing – an astonishingly interesting book on a vitally important topic.” – Rory Sutherland, vice chairman at Ogilvy UK and author of Alchemy: The Surprising Power Of Ideas That Don’t Make Sense

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REVIEW by Kirkus Reviews

“A combination of compelling overview and practical strategy. Benjamin Franklin wrote that public libraries would empower the common man by giving him knowledge. Free public education, a 19th-century invention, proclaimed the same goal. In the following century, computers and, later, the internet would spread information everywhere, overwhelming the forces of censorship, propaganda, prejudice, and lies. As we all know, the opposite happened. This spread of misinformation has produced countless books about true believers who are impervious to evidence—contradictory facts actually strengthen their beliefs. In one of his examples, McRaney, author of You Are Not So Smart, examines attitudes toward same-sex marriage. At the turn of the 21st century, opposition was overwhelming; by the teens, it was crumbling; today, it’s gained fairly wide acceptance. What happened? Searching to discover why fiercely prejudiced people changed their minds, the author begins with the mind itself. Evolution designed the brain for survival, not accuracy. Making decisions from the raw data of our senses is hopelessly slow. Brains work fast and take shortcuts, so we see what we expect to see. When we encounter something that doesn’t make sense, our instinct is not to question our beliefs but to make it fit—and we almost always succeed. Only when contradictions pile up do individuals, reluctantly, reconsider. Equally important, humans are ultrasocial animals who value being accepted by their communities more than being right. Sociologist Brooke Harrington told McRaney, “Social death is more frightening than physical death.” After investigating the stories of true believers who saw the light, the author concludes by describing successful methods. With labels like “street epistemology” or “deep canvassing,” they involve building rapport; listening respectfully to a claim, however wacky; exploring the reasons behind it; and encouraging believers to judge the quality of their reasons. The goal is getting people to think about their own thinking. It doesn’t always work, but McRaney effectively shows how it has proven far more successful than focusing on facts. Convincing advice regarding a timely issue.”

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REVIEW by Publishers Weekly

“What does the phrase ‘change your mind’ even mean?” asks journalist McRaney (You Are Not So Smart) in this fascinating take. To investigate how people’s opinions can be changed, he speaks with a former “9/11 truther” who was a “leader in the… community” before having a change of heart; interviews psychologists who suggest that when trying to persuade someone, a “message can’t seem threatening to a person’s group identity, or the central route will remain barricaded”; and spends time with gay rights activists who use a method called “deep canvassing,” which involves sharing one’s own story and “non-judgmental listening” to win people over, because “the only way they are going to change their mind,” the rationale goes, “is by changing their own mind.” The author’s approach to persuasion calls for compassion: “When interacting with someone who is vaccine-hesitant, you’ll get much further if you frame it as respectful collaboration toward a shared goal, based on mutual fears and anxieties, and demonstrate you are open to their perspective and input.” McRaney makes a convincing case that “we must avoid debate and start having conversations” and backs it up with what science has to say about “replac[ing] old ignorance with new wisdom.” The result is an eye-opening survey filled with heart.”

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REVIEW by The Guardian

“This book is bad news for anyone who thinks we should use facts and evidence to change people’s minds. It is disappointing for lovers of debate. It reveals the psychological and evolutionary reasons why all humans are certain we are right, and why “certainty” is nothing but an illusion. But it’s an optimistic, illuminating and even inspiring read. Because while you can’t talk someone into changing their mind, you just might be able to listen them into it, and David McRaney thinks he can show you how…The book is a rousing call to action, an explanation of how societies change their minds in a sudden cascade on subjects such as equal marriage. McRaney talks of generations of campaigners, each hammering away at a crack in the status quo, passing on their hammers to the people after them. The key, he says, “is to never put that hammer down”. But McRaney is also inspiring in his quieter revelations. He points out: “The only way to win a debate is to avoid changing one’s own mind. Only the ‘loser’ of a debate learns anything new, and no one wants to be a loser.” It encourages those of us who think that we’re right to think again, and to listen. As a believer in facts and evidence, a wielder of hammers and a haver of debates, I thought that winning these battles was always the most important thing. I might just have changed my mind.”

Links and Sources

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Link to learn more about the book: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehomeLink to learn more about Deep Canvassing: www.newconvo.orgLink to my new newsletter: davidmcraney.substack.com/subscribeLink to Chris Clearfield’s handout: www.chrisclearfield.com/changePrevious Episodes