It’s very difficult to change someone’s mind on a political issue. Facts rarely work, because the person you are arguing with has likely already been told the facts and has already formed reasons to dismiss the facts. But there are two science-back ways to argue, according to this Vox article by Brian Resnick, that will give you a better change of nudging someone, ever-so-slightly, in the direction you wish them to go.
Strategy 1: “If the argument you find convincing doesn’t resonate with someone else, find out what does.”
Here’s an example. If you’re trying to convince a conservative of the merits of kneeling for the national anthem in protest, emphasize the traditional values around political and religious freedom. Willer suggests, “arguing that the founding fathers were deeply concerned with protecting our rights to social protest.”
Strategy 2: “Listen. Your ideological opponents want to feel like they’ve been heard.”
In 2016, the journal Science published a remarkable bit of insight: It’s possible to reduce prejudice, and sway opinions on anti-transgender legislation, with one 10-minute conversation. What’s more, the researchers found that the change of heart can last at least three months and is resistant to anti-transgender attack ads.
It worked because the canvassers in the study did a simple thing: they listened… In talking about their own lives, the voters engage in what psychologists call “active processing.” The idea is that people learn lessons more durably when they come to the conclusion themselves, not when someone “bitch-slaps you with a statistic,” says Fleischer.
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