The Science study, “When contact changes minds: An experiment on transmission of support for gay equality,” seemed to offer a method that could work. Beliefs are sticky, and hardly any approach, no matter how logical it may be, can change that.
You may think that you’ve made a convincing argument about gun control, but your crabby uncle isn’t likely to switch sides in the debate. Persuasion is famously difficult: study after study-not to mention much of world history-has shown that, when it comes to controversial subjects, people rarely change their minds, especially if those subjects are important to them. Last December, Science published a provocative paper about political persuasion.
What happened? Photograph by Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty A study that had excited researchers and journalists alike now looks suspect.
