Ask How?

How well do you know how a zipper works?

This was a question posed by Yale researchers along with many other questions. How does a toilet work? How does a cylinder lock? The subjects would rank themselves out of 7 on how well they understood the mechanics of the everyday item. 7 being perfect understanding and 1 being no understanding.

Then the researchers asked them to write down their explanations.

The subjects then struggled to explain how the items worked and revealed to themselves that they didn’t know as much as they thought.

They were then given a chance to change their answer. They all did.

Brown University Professor Steven Sloman and University of Colorado professor Philip Fernbach call it the “illusion of explanatory depth“. It suggests we believe we understand more about things than we actually do.

What does it mean for me?

It highlights that we shouldn’t ever try to change anyone mind. We all know we are too stubborn for that. But a more clever way is to make them change their own mind.

Instead of telling them how their idea is wrong, as them to explain their idea to you. How does it work? Not in a condescending way. In a sincere way where you are trying to learn their position.

Tim Hartford from the Cautionary Tales Podcast, when asked how do you change someone’s mind, Hartford said “Just ask them to explain, the thing they are arguing in favour of, just ask them to explain how it works and listen, and you will find one of two things. Either, they will start to realise they really don’t know what they are talking about, and that this an education for them. Or they do know what they are talking about, and that is an education for you.

Hartford went on to discuss the Yale experiment. “It is partly about intellectual humility, it is also partly about how interesting the details can be, and it is also that people can correct themselves if you give them a chance. “

Sounds like a win, win.