Changing Your Mind Is No Simple Act

Have you ever been flabbergasted to discover the lyrics you have been singing to a song are completely, nonsensically wrong? Did you ever study incorrect information for a test and feel your thoughts rattle and your stomach drop when seeing your results? Did you ever notice that there was no amount of indisputable evidence that could change the mind of somebody you were arguing with?

Our beliefs take deep roots in our brains and underlay our decisions, emotions, and reactions. Harvard-trained psychologist Lynne Kenney provides some insight into the brain’s belief systems. She explains that when someone takes in information, it turns it into a memory that gets stored securely. The brain wants those memories to stay as they are, and when stored ideas and beliefs are challenged, the brain automatically defends itself.

Kenney also explains that the brain does not especially like to spend energy digging up and re-evaluating long-held beliefs. Not even expansive scientific research can always get the mind to readjust its reasoning. Ideas that are emotionally charged are much harder to uproot from a person’s brain.

To challenge your brain, you may be open to realizing when or if your emotions are all that your beliefs are grounded in.