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Been a while since I've talked about Mormonism. Simply put, if you talk to an active Mormon about religion, there's a good chance they'll "bear their testimony" and tell you things they know are true.
Let's discuss the illusory truth effect. (1/11)
Let's discuss the illusory truth effect. (1/11)
Going to link an article here if you want some more (informal) reading. Essentially, the illusory truth effect happens when repeating a false statement; this increases your belief that the statement is true. (2/11) https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psych-unseen/202001/illusory-truth-lies-and-political-propaganda-part-1
Every month, Mormons have a "testimony meeting," a Sunday dedicated to sharing their beliefs of the church. However, one key difference is that saying they "believe" in things. Instead, they say they "know." (3/11)
The tricky thing here is that, by the illusory truth effect, not only do they increase their belief in the thing, they also increase their belief that they actually, literally KNOW it's true. (4/11)
In fact, the Mormon church knows many people say they "know" something is true when they don't. A common phrase: "A testimony is found in the bearing of it." In other words, tell others you know something enough times, and you'll believe you know it. (5/11)
People born in the church are encouraged to tell these lie from when they're children. Parents will often whisper what to say; not only do kids get positive attention, but it reinforces these things they absolutely DO NOT know. (6/11)
What's fascinating in this specific video is that falsehoods are often mixed with true statements. Yes, the kid loves her teacher. No, they haven't received divine revelation about the church. (7/11)
Also, these repetitions often have a rhythm. Many common things for kids to say: "I know the church is true." "I know that Jesus lives." "I love my mom and dad." Say them out loud. The phrases each have three iambs, giving it a smooth-flowing structure. (8/11)
The article about the illusory truth effect mentions emotion-injected statements and rhymes, but rhythm is absolutely part of this. They're nice to say. Rhythm is pleasant. It reinforces the belief in these statements. (9/11)
Anyway, the biggest takeaway from this? Many Mormons genuinely believe they know the religion is true, but they also don't realize how years of repeated falsehoods reinforces the belief. Happened to me. I knew Jesus lived, even though I never saw him. (10/11)
"A Mormon Just Believes," the song from the Book of Mormon musical, is amazingly accurate. However, it's unfair to say this is because they're naive; if you had grown up in their spot, odds are you'd also be a believer, in part due to the illusory truth effect. (11/11)
P.S. The scary thing is that the effect happens even if you know something is false. Remember when Trump started saying "fake news?" You ridiculed him, but most of you trust the media less today than you did in 2016. Illusory truth effect, nerds.
