Questioning existing beliefs - that paralyze our progress.
The only way to be more certain that our beliefs point us in the direction of self improvement, is to not just spend our energy conveniently accumulating knowledge that supports what we hope and believe to be true; but to also accept information that can prove us wrong.
I came across an article in today's Montreal Gazette, that was of a subject matter that I believe is inevitably going to be misinterpreted by the people who read it.
The general premise of the article claimed that overweight people are not always disadvantaged when evaluating their physical health. Further, they stated that many lean people showed inferior health and less ability to recover from heart attacks, than their more over weight test subjects. If you care to read the full article click here.
The only way to be more certain that our beliefs point us in the direction of self improvement, is to not just spend our energy conveniently accumulating knowledge that supports what we hope and believe to be true; but to also accept information that can prove us wrong.
I came across an article in today's Montreal Gazette, that was of a subject matter that I believe is inevitably going to be misinterpreted by the people who read it.
The general premise of the article claimed that overweight people are not always disadvantaged when evaluating their physical health. Further, they stated that many lean people showed inferior health and less ability to recover from heart attacks, than their more over weight test subjects. If you care to read the full article click here.
I wouldn't disagree with the general content of the whole article. Being moderately overweight is not going to necessarily cause immediate ill health or a premature death, and may not predispose you to other illnesses that some believe to be an inevitability for overweight people. My concern is more for those who are overweight that will determine - for no other reason other than having read the contents of this article- that they fit into this safe category.
What some journalists don't account for is the power of what is called, confirmation bias. This is a term in cognitive science which explains how people seek out information that confirms ones views and how they avoid information that refutes their existing beliefs. This is a particular problem, because in articles such as the one I've linked above, people who don't want to accept that they have a problem; will methodically extract the information that supports their views and ignore the undertones that may say otherwise.
In the study, they compared the health of overweight people with what they refed to as lean individuals. I'd like to point out that just because someone is lean by no means is assurance that their healthy. There're plenty of people who suffer with normal weight obesity. They don't have the appearance of being over weight but they have very little muscle mass and high fat levels. They give no mention of the orthopaedic issues that plague obese people and that lack of proper nutrition and exercise are considered to be the highest causative factors for many types of cancer. These are all points that will be overlooked once the confirmation bias kicks in.
There're just so many questions before we can formulate an opinion on where we as individuals categorically fall in these studies and I think though it makes for interesting reporting; it can be terribly misleading for many people. But, with the help of confirmation bias, people will inevitably formulate conclusions from this article that favour their present views of themselves.
The portrait above is of Leo Tolstoy. I include it because the behavior of confirmation bias was often called "Tolstoy syndrome." He was quoted as saying,"I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabrics of their life".
What some journalists don't account for is the power of what is called, confirmation bias. This is a term in cognitive science which explains how people seek out information that confirms ones views and how they avoid information that refutes their existing beliefs. This is a particular problem, because in articles such as the one I've linked above, people who don't want to accept that they have a problem; will methodically extract the information that supports their views and ignore the undertones that may say otherwise.
In the study, they compared the health of overweight people with what they refed to as lean individuals. I'd like to point out that just because someone is lean by no means is assurance that their healthy. There're plenty of people who suffer with normal weight obesity. They don't have the appearance of being over weight but they have very little muscle mass and high fat levels. They give no mention of the orthopaedic issues that plague obese people and that lack of proper nutrition and exercise are considered to be the highest causative factors for many types of cancer. These are all points that will be overlooked once the confirmation bias kicks in.
There're just so many questions before we can formulate an opinion on where we as individuals categorically fall in these studies and I think though it makes for interesting reporting; it can be terribly misleading for many people. But, with the help of confirmation bias, people will inevitably formulate conclusions from this article that favour their present views of themselves.
The portrait above is of Leo Tolstoy. I include it because the behavior of confirmation bias was often called "Tolstoy syndrome." He was quoted as saying,"I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabrics of their life".
