Something very weird happened to me today after reading this paragraph in the article yesterday:
Another particularly well-documented case of the persistence
of mistaken beliefs despite extensive corrective efforts
involves the decades-long deceptive advertising for Listerine
mouthwash in the U.S. Advertisements for Listerine had falsely
claimed for more than 50 years that the product helped prevent
or reduce the severity of colds and sore throats.
I had not known earlier that Listerine had claimed to alleviate colds and sore throats. Today morning, as I was using my Listerine mouthwash, I felt as though the Listerine was helping my sore throat. Not deliberatively of course, but instantaneously. And my mind also instantaneously constructed a picture where the mouthwash was killing germs in my throat. This happened after I learned about the claim from a source whose only reason for mentioning it was that it was false. From a source about the dangers of misinformation.
Misinformation is more insidious that I suspected.
Something very weird happened to me today after reading this paragraph in the article yesterday:
I had not known earlier that Listerine had claimed to alleviate colds and sore throats. Today morning, as I was using my Listerine mouthwash, I felt as though the Listerine was helping my sore throat. Not deliberatively of course, but instantaneously. And my mind also instantaneously constructed a picture where the mouthwash was killing germs in my throat. This happened after I learned about the claim from a source whose only reason for mentioning it was that it was false. From a source about the dangers of misinformation.
Misinformation is more insidious that I suspected.