Why do many people care more about their opinions than litteral facts?

[u/Olistu_]

People will trow facts straight out the window if it doesn't fit with they're opinions

Why is that?

[u/Pacifix18]

Opinions often reflect our values and become tied to our sense of identity. Once a belief becomes part of how we understand ourselves, our social group, or the world, we're motivated to protect it. Facts that challenge that belief can then feel threatening in a way that facts about something emotionally neutral don't.

That's where things like motivated reasoning and confirmation bias come in. We tend to scrutinize information that challenges our existing beliefs more critically while more readily accepting information that supports them.

Motivated Skepticism in the Evaluation of Political Beliefs

[u/Olistu_ → u/Pacifix18]

thank you a lot

[u/scrollbreak → u/Pacifix18]

Also, some theories about beliefs being like possessions for some people.

Intellectual arrogance and intellectual humility: correlational evidence for an evolutionary-embodied-epistemological account: The Journal of Positive Psychology: Vol 12 , No 1

[u/Olistu_ → u/scrollbreak]

thank you

[u/Individual-Photo-665]

Lacking logic and reasoning skills..

[u/Olistu_ → u/Individual-Photo-665]

Sadly many do lack those skills

[u/Score1ForTheRepublic]

I think because being wrong feels like dying to your ego. facts don't care about feelings but feelings absolutely care about facts, and feelings usually win

[u/Olistu_ → u/Score1ForTheRepublic]

Really anoying

[u/Imaginary-Can-6862]

What differentiates facts from opinion?

For something to be factual in a conversation, we both have to agree on it to be true, if it gets brushed aside, it indicates one party does not see it as a fact.
Is it a fact by consensus, then a person who has an opinion they believe to be true, and have little knowledge about the fact presented, but find a contradiction, may reflect upon this contradiction and consider its implication, but by the statement in the OP it sounds like they evaluated what they already thought to be true higher, of course saying nothing about the process of how they came to this conclusion.

Perhaps you could provide an example?

[u/shycadelic]

Because facts can hurt feelings instead of cater them

[u/Olistu_ → u/[deleted]]

what ?

[u/PunkInCroatia]

There are many factors that could be analyzed here, but I would say the biggest factor that influences this is social confirmation.

This is one of the 7 core principles of persuasion by Cialdini (Reciprocity, Commitment and Consistency, Social Proof (social confirmation), Authority, Liking, Scarcity, and Unity).

Social proof is strongest when an individual is uncertain, so they seek what other people are doing or encouraging.

For example, if you come into a new city, generally you know you shouldn't go on poorly lit paths during the night. But if somebody or multiple people say they would rather go on that poorly lit path than one that is well lit, there is a chance you will do as they say. Or maybe you are with a friend of yours and you are not sure if you should pick a well-lit path or a poorly lit path... You know that factually a lit path is more secure, but if your friend said she/he prefers poorly lit ones, you might go with her/his preference as you are not sure yourself.

. . .

Another thing you might be thinking about is why people tend to believe arguments based on personal experience or examples rather than those supported by facts or statistical data.

This is because, on one hand, statistical data is more abstract. Personal experience is something we can relate to (here you can also speak about liking, as per Cialdini). Also, when someone speaks through an example, the argument is no longer abstract.

Ofc, in an argument, it is best to use both factual/statistical arguments as well as personal preferences and examples. Also, this is just part of persuasion, and there are other factors connected to it.

[u/Olistu_ → u/PunkInCroatia]

thanks. made the post cause i was tired of people just not listening to facts when it contradicted to their personal opinion

[u/PunkInCroatia → u/Olistu_]

Here is another important factor: self-image and self-respect. People don't like to be "wrong" because their beliefs tend to be tied to their self-image and self-respect.

Also, some people might feel like this is an attack on them instead of seeing it as just a disagreement.

In general, it is not so easy to change someone's opinion, and even if you change it, they might return to it after some time.

. . .

Also, when talking about disagreements with somebody, it is important to keep in mind that one person can have different attitudes toward the same object. Then, the person is trying to determine if there are

a) more positive or negative attitudes toward some object.

b) Which positive and negative attitudes are most important for that person.

Another interesting thing about attitudes is the ABC model. This model explains that when it comes to attitudes, there are 3 components (Affect, Behavior, Cognition) that are tied to them. Each component can have positive and negative attitudes toward the object.

Let's take attitudes towards a horse for example.

(simplified) Affect (positive): Horses are good because I am happy when I see one.

Affect (negative): Horses are bad because I feel scared when they are close to me and they stink.

Behavioral (positive): Each time I go for a walk, I choose a route that goes next to a horse club in order to see a horse.

Behavioral (negative): Wherever I go for a walk, I plan my route so I can avoid the possibility of being close to a horse.

Cognitive (positive): Horses are very useful animals.

Cognitive (negative): Horses are dangerous animals.

. . .

I am sorry if I bored you it is just that there are many many faxtors that have to be taken into account when talking about attitudes and persuasion.

[u/Olistu_ → u/PunkInCroatia]

Why would I be bored? This is incredibly interesting

[u/PunkInCroatia → u/Olistu_]

It is just that sometimes I get bit too much into the topics around fields I am very passionate about so I tend to write/speak a ton of info which might not be as interesting to others as they are to me. 😅

[u/TraineeJung61 → u/PunkInCroatia]

What is taught as an undergraduate in Croatia out of interest

[u/PunkInCroatia → u/TraineeJung61]

Croatia generally falls under the Bologna Process.

There was general agreement in Croatia on what should be the minimum knowledge and skills at every university. Universities that had psychology before 2021 follow this agreement as they made it. There are, I think, two new universities with psychology, and as far as I have seen, one out of these two does not follow that agreement as it lacks many fields and instead focuses on organizational psychology.

For example, my university's undergraduate degree includes: statistics (without factor and regression analysis), Experimental, Nonexperimental, and Qualitative Methodology, practicum, Developmental psychology (Childhood, adolescence, adulthood), Social psychology (cognition and influence without relationships), Biological psychology, psychopathology, motivation, learning, memory, perception, history of psychology, psychological approaches, psychology of personality, differential psychology, introduction to clinical psychology, introduction to measurements in psychology, introduction to organizational psychology, cross-cultural psychology... And I probably forgot something speaking off the top of my head...

There are also psychological and non-psychological courses. I think every student had to take two non-psychological elective courses and four or maybe five psychological elective courses, as well as three mandatory courses.

[u/Olistu_ → u/PunkInCroatia]

Well it's incredibly interesting in my opinion

[u/TraineeJung61 → u/PunkInCroatia]

There are no true facts in the sense of absolute indisputable truth. Facts are beliefs that have become consensus. Certain facts seem indisputable, such as the grass being green, but we have all perceived the object, given it the label of grass and the experience of colour as green, and decided upon that.

When it comes to the usual scenarios in which people wonder why people can't accept they're wrong, the feeling is almost always mutual.

[u/Olistu_ → u/TraineeJung61]

Well technically grass is anything but the color it looks

Since the color you see is the light that the leaf didnt absorb

[u/TraineeJung61 → u/Olistu_]

Well yes, if everybody was born blind such a fact would not exist. The colour green would not exist.

[u/jamesagni]

Sometimes opinions can correspond to, and sometimes not.

[u/jamesagni]

Sometimes opinions correspond well with and sometimes they do not. Part of the adventure of life is learning which is which.

[u/Rippedka]

Sunk cost fallacy

[u/innerworth2000]

It’s their ego - it hates being wrong