Robert Pavlis

“Why is anecdotal evidence believed so strongly? Michael Shermer, put it this way, “We have evolved brains that pay attention to anecdotes because false positives (believing there is a connection between A and B when there is not) are usually harmless, whereas false negatives (believing there is no connection between A and B when there is) may take you out of the gene pool.” Brain research has shown that we create a new belief easily. Our brains work on patterns, and patterns rely on us having beliefs. We function better if we believe something, even if it is false. Once a belief is accepted, we are very reluctant to change.”
― Robert Pavlis, Garden Myths: Book 1