Scientific hoaxes: playing with emotions
Let me tell you a story
“I was leaving work. That evening, I ran particularly late to conclude a few projects which were approaching their deadlines. I collected my things and headed towards the building door. Once outside, I looked around in the desolate, gloomy campus. I walked to reach the car, hidden in the darkness of the night. A gelid wind whistled among the tree branches, while the snow squeezed into my parka’s collar.
It was in that moment, that I heard those steps behind me. I turned and I suddenly recognized that person. A shiver ran down my spine. I walked faster, and the person behind me did the same. I was just a short step from the car, when I turned and…”
What happened? Follow me please, I will tell you the same story but in a different way:
“I was leaving work. I collected my things and headed towards the building door. I shut the door and I directed to the car.
I heard steps behind me. I turned and I recognized my colleague who has also spent a few extra hours at work. We waved at each other and, as it was freezing, we hurried towards our vehicles. When I reached the car, I turned to my colleague and smiled, wishing her a nice week end.”
The point of view and the missing details
The stories above (totally invented btw) are simply the same, just told in two different ways. In the first version, I suggested that something terrible is going to happen. I gave the impression that the shady person was following me with malicious intents.
In the second version, instead, it is evident that the person following me is simply my colleague.
The two paragraphs tell the same story, but the way how the plot is presented suggests two completely different scenarios.
In the first version, I didn’t lie. I have intentionally added a few details and omitted others. Is it so important to know that it was dark and the wind whistled among the tree branches? Of course not, but it makes the atmosphere more threatening. The shiver down the spine was caused by the coldness, but the way the sentences are associated suggests that I was rather frightened by that person following me.
The leverage of emotions
Playing with emotions is a powerful strategy that is widely used in several environments: journalism, commercials, copywriting and so on. The scope can be just getting your attention, but also selling something, like in commercials. No one is telling lies. The reality is presented in a certain way and from a certain point of view. Even if no lies are told, it remains that the facts are misrepresented.
But why are we talking about this? A while ago, I mentioned the problem of scientific communication. Specifically, I talked about scientific hoaxes and how recognized the most common ones.
One of the arguments I raised was how to recognize good scientific references. Unfortunately, citing sources might not suffice. If facts are presented like in version 1 of my story, the reader’s judgement could be completely erroneous.
On the other hand, version 2 tells the facts with the same style of a scientific article. Have you ever read one? They are boring (including mines). In a peer-reviewed scientific publication, facts are reported with accuracy and clarity. Evidences are discussed with a logical and impersonal style, without any trace of sensitivity. In a scientific paper, the author uses tangible facts to support a theory rather than exploiting emotions as a leverage. A total failure from in terms of marketing!
Next time that you will run into the usual media report/article/post of ostensible scientific value, try to understand if and how they are playing with your emotions. Are they trying to frighten you? Or, on the contrary, are they leveraging your dreams and hopes? If that is the case, become suspicious. Probably, the news is based on real facts, but it has been manipulated to create a more attractive product. Get to the bottom of it or try to do more research. Scientific matters are usually very complex and their simplified versions might lack accuracy.
If you find the topic interesting, I highly recommend this article on the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide. A classic piece that teaches how it is easy to tell lies using real facts.