How to change someone’s mind fast, according to science

There’s an old saying that goes, “It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.” Although this was used in a slightly derogatory way, as if all women are fickle and indecisive, the ability to change their minds is a positive trait.

Too often, people become rigid about their opinions and refuse to budge, as changing their minds on an issue makes them weak and immature. But the ability to decide that you used to feel one way about something, and now you feel differently, is mature and thoughtful.

No matter how stubborn you are, there will be times when you will falter, and other times when you will want to influence someone else.

A study from Cornell University states: “Changing one’s opinion is arguably one of the most important challenges of social interaction. The underlying process proves difficult to study; it is difficult to know how one’s opinions are formed and whether and how one’s views change.”

So the researchers looked at almost two years of posts on ChangeMyView, a Reddit forum where posters post an argument and then invite people to reason against it.

RELATED: How to Change Limiting Beliefs in One Minute

Topics cover everything from “Big business is good” to “Near-death experiences are pretty good evidence of an afterlife.” Commenters are asked to explain their reasoning at length, and also require that responders let others know when their view has changed and explain what changed it.

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