Mount Hood

The great divide

Jan. 14 2026 | Belen Ponce Leal | Lifestyle Editor

I am not a very tech-savvy person. Granted, I know my way around most types of phones and computers. Yet that is mostly due to growing up with this kind of technology around. However, as someone who also works for a cell phone service provider, I have had to interact with, set up and attempt to fix a lot of issues with various devices. If there is anything that I have learned during this time, it is that there are stark differences between iPhone and Android phones. 

Growing up, Android phones were what was given to me by my predominantly Apple device-loving family. So here’s what I noticed. 

Strengths — Android phones have a much simpler operating system that is easy to use and convenient. It typically has three buttons on the home screen: one to go to the home screen, another to see all apps that are open and the last to go back to the previous screen. Android smartphones also come in many different versions. Samsung alone has three different series of phones, each very starkly different from each other. One is fast, one is foldable and the last is cost-effective while still being a decent phone. Another popular Android phone is Google Pixel, which is well known for its camera quality and sturdy design. Motorola phones are known for being budget-friendly, but are reliable and simple. 

Weaknesses — A lot of people with Android phones come into the store to tell me that their phone is full of pop-ups. The most common cause of those is “bad apps” being downloaded. Essentially, any kind of “phone cleaner” app is not actually cleaning the phone. Instead, it is slowing down its performance, and some can cause ads to pop up at random times. The battery life is also a major issue I’ve seen, with many getting new phones due to faulty batteries. There are also the constant updates that are done to the system that some may find annoying.

I recently became an iPhone user. After having the phone for a while now, here’s what I’ve observed. 

Strengths — Apple’s phones are incredibly fast, with their chip processors able to have many apps open at once without slowing down the smartphone. For newer models, the iPhone battery life is often incredibly good, being able to last an entire day. They also switched their charger from the Lightning cable to a USB-C to become more compatible for Android users who want to switch to iPhone. Furthermore, iPhone’s have their own Apple ecosystem of apps that allows for a much stronger privacy shield compared to Android. iMessage, FaceTime, Apple Cash, etc., are all iPhone-exclusive applications for these types of phones. The Apple App Store is also much more strict with what apps are allowed to be downloaded from it, making it much less likely for any bad apps to affect iPhone users. 

Weaknesses — I believe that iPhone’s main weakness is the lack of variety in their phones. While over time the screen size has gotten bigger and the camera positioning has changed, there isn’t a difference between the models. Obviously, if someone compares the first iPhone to the newest one, they look very different. However, there isn’t a huge change between the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 17. Another issue with Apple is that, due to the strictness of the App Store, many apps are not available to download. There isn’t a variety of different types of apps to get, while Android app stores allow for more options. There is also the fact that iPhones are not as customizable as Android phones. While their display options are sleek and clean looking, I’ve seen much more be able to be done with Androids, whether it be their shortcuts or widget flexibility. 

In my opinion, the other differences are minuscule. The keyboards between the two phones look and feel different from each other. Android phones still have “buttons” to control the screen, while iPhone users need to swipe up to navigate the phone. 

However, these smaller things are like comparing different fonts. If one is a person who likes consistency, I recommend an iPhone. If variety is preferred, there is an array of different Android phones from many companies that may be the better choice. 

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Work for fun

A sketched comic of a woman complimenting a girl’s sweater. | Photo from @juliehang.art on Instagram

Jan. 14 2026 | Belen Ponce Leal | Lifestyle Editor

According to the Oxford dictionary, a hobby is an activity that is done by a person for the sole purpose of enjoyment or relaxation. Hobbies can range from hiking in the mountains to playing video games at home. I personally don’t have a lot of hobbies. The main hobby I have, writing, has become something I do for school and work. While I still love it with a passion, I have been wanting to take up a new one that doesn’t involve me trying to spell things correctly. 

I haven’t had the opportunity to really explore activities to do in my free time. Yet during 

break, when I had all the time in the world, I came to the realization that I had no idea how to get a new hobby.  I’ve usually just stuck to the ones I had growing up. I can only imagine that a lot of other students feel the same way. Therefore, I have created some tips on how to discover a hobby. 

Something simple that anyone can do is create a list of things they like. The list doesn’t have to be concrete. It could range from things done as a child that were fun, like playing tag or building things with LEGOs. Some things to consider would be topics that are engaging and that aren’t tiresome for oneself. 

There’s also scheduling that should be considered when taking up a new hobby. As someone with a busy schedule, I would want a hobby that is easy to do anywhere and can be done wherever I go. For someone who would prefer to do something with their hands, crafting and sculpting would be good ideas. 

Something that discourages a lot of people from starting new hobbies is the lack of perfection at first. Obviously, no one is going to be good at something from the start, and if they are, they are not human. 

Stuart Brown once said, “Life without play is a grinding, mechanical existence organized around doing the things necessary for survival. Play is the vital essence of life. It is what makes life lively.” I’ve thought about trying to start crocheting because the thought of creating my own things sounds awesome. However, I’ve been hesitant to do so because I know for a fact that the first thing I make will look horrifying. Still, that shouldn’t dissuade me or anyone else searching for something new to do in their spare time. 

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

‘You’ll never see anything like it’

A photo of the United States Capitol. | Photo from @drchubacca on Instagram

Jan. 14 2026 | Abbi Duhart | News Editor 

On Dec. 18, President Donald Trump made a video announcement from the White House highlighting his plans for 2026 regarding the celebration of America’s 250th birthday. This announcement featured various events to take place, one of the most well-known being his plans for the Patriot Games.

The reasons given for these events included Trump saying, “In my campaign for president, I pledged to give America the most spectacular birthday party the world has ever seen for America’s 250th anniversary on July 4th next year.” Naming the initiative “Freedom 250,” his plan is to put on year-long festivities to celebrate the 250th birthday.

Construction plans throughout 2026 include a new arch monument being built in the nation’s capital, with Trump explaining that America is the only large nation without a beautiful, triumphal arch. Additionally, Trump plans to create a national garden of American heroes featuring statues of the greatest Americans, though he didn’t specify who this would entail.

On May 17, Trump has planned a national prayer gathering to take place at the National Mall in Washington. Regarding this, he explained that the purpose was to “rededicate our country as one nation under God.”

To celebrate America’s history and culture, Trump adds that there will be a great American state fair, featuring pavilions from all 50 states, taking place from June 25 through July 10.

On June 14 — Flag Day, as well as Trump’s birthday — a large UFC fight will take place featuring the greatest champion fighters from around the world. Dana White will be hosting and it will take place at the White House. 

During fall of 2026, Trump will also be hosting the “Patriot Games,” a young athletic competition. The Patriot Games will be a four-day event featuring the greatest high school athletes — one man and one woman — from each state and territory. He adds, “I promise there will be no men playing in women’s sports, you’re not gonna see that, you’ll see everything but that.” 

Across social media platforms, many are making a connection between Trump’s announcement of the games and the dystopian, post-apocalyptic Hunger Games, noting the similarities between his speech and speeches made in “The Hunger Games.” This includes Trump’s “one young man and one young woman” compared to the line, “select one courageous young man and woman,” Trump’s “the first ever Patriot Games” compared to “the Hunger Games,” and Trump’s “you’ll never see anything like it and you’ll never see anything like it again” compared to “we’ve never seen anything like this and we will never see anything like it again.”

Regardless of their views on President Trump’s announcement, those in the United States can expect to hear more about these events and more about his plans for America’s 250th birthday going forward into 2026.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

 

Seeking fear-giveness


A photo of an artwork depicting a woman caressing her cheek in the mirror. | Photo from @alev.neto on Instagram

Jan 7. 2026 | Belen Ponce Leal | Lifestyle Editor

Special thanks to copy editor Kiera Roedel for being the inspiration to write this article. 

I have a habit of saying “sorry” a lot. Like, a lot. While apologizing is an important behavior that everyone has hopefully done throughout their lives when needed, I usually do it to the point where it isn’t. It isn’t something that I thought would be such a big problem. After all, I don’t want to be seen as someone who doesn’t take accountability for their actions. 

Yet, I can recognize that a lot of the time, I don’t need to say sorry as much as I do. I am an overapologizer. Overapologizing is the act of apologizing so much that it becomes more of a defense mechanism rather than an actual apology. It is not something that a person will wake up with one day and begin doing. It is usually a learned behavior. It is something that has been developed throughout someone’s life without realizing it. Another term for overapologizing is “the anxious sorry.” 

Definition — The anxious sorry is a type of safety behavior. A safety behavior, according to Psychology Today, is a type of “short-acting relief technique” that people use to calm their fears or anxiety. They can involve both avoidance and escapism responses, such as procrastination, reassurance-seeking or even stonewalling. Safety behaviors aren’t necessarily a problem for those who do them, but they can become an issue when they have become the only coping mechanism that someone’s used their entire life. Healthy coping mechanisms like learning from mistakes, problem-solving and learning to accept things are all good ways of coping with issues or dramatic changes. Yet, when the automatic response someone has when facing an issue is “sorry,” it can be a clue into a much deeper problem developing in the mind of the apologizer. 

What sorry means to an overapologizer — Overapologizers don’t usually say sorry all the time to be polite. It’s often because they fear something. Fear usually ties into all sorts of things, such as being scared of conflict, anxiety, low self-esteem and people-pleasing tendencies. The word “sorry” then becomes a replacement for feelings that a person may not have the capability of confronting or skills to cope with. Constantly apologizing can cause overapologizers a momentary feeling of relief from whatever bad feeling was giving them the need to apologize, whether it be fear of rejection or anxiety. It is that relaxing feeling that can make a person use the word as a strategy in maintaining relationships. 

Potential problems — While saying sorry a lot may not seem like such a big deal, it can become harmful. It is incredibly diminishing to the apologizer’s self worth. It reinforces the thought that they’re wrong, that they are “too much” and that the person is responsible for the emotions of others. Apologizing a lot can also be confusing for those who are around you. Saying sorry often can make the word lose its sincerity, and then the person who you are apologizing to doesn’t understand what it is that is actually needed from the apologizer. There is an irrational fear of upsetting others or being uncomfortable when others around them are upset. Despite knowing that the problem didn’t come from them, overapologizers have this compulsive need to try to diffuse the situation before being able to feel comfortable again. 

The signs — One overapologetic behavior would be apologizing for things that the person themselves didn’t do. Situations such as schedule conflicts, apologizing for someone else’s behavior, not carrying cash when it’s needed, etc. Oftentimes, it’s things that the person had no control over or prior knowledge of needing to do that they end up taking responsibility for. Another sign would be saying sorry instead of expressing a need. A good example of this that I personally have lived through would be saying sorry to a partner instead of telling them what it is that I want from them. There was a time that my spouse and their family wanted to go eat at a sushi restaurant. I was the only one who didn’t want to go, but I lied and said I wanted to because I didn’t want to be the reason they didn’t get the food they wanted. I tried to prevent a conflict between them and compromised my own wants to do so. 

Likely Causes — Some causes for saying sorry frequently could involve the background of the overapologizer. If they were surrounded by people who were caring and understanding one minute and furious the next, they often have to learn early on how to anticipate the needs of others by minor things such as expressions, tone, hand movement and body language. That could explain the need to want to “diffuse the bomb,” despite not being the cause of it. Trauma is another major factor in apologizing often. A lot of people who experience traumatic events will often blame themselves for it in an attempt to feel in control of the situation. Yet, it can often make the trauma worse and make them perform people-pleasing behavior to feel safe. For people who think less of themselves or have low self-image, feelings of self-resentment can cause them to say sorry for things that often don’t need it. Having low self esteem can also make a person much more likely to be in codependent relationships. Being in a codependent relationship means that the person’s value is tied to their ability to keep the other person in the relationship happy. Taking the blame for whatever conflicts may arise between the two can often be a way to keep the peace to satisfy the other. 

Like most problems that we as humans face, the first thing overapologizers need to do is be aware of the issue and try to combat it more. It’s important to become self-aware of how often they say sorry and what situations it tends to come up in more. Try to recognize the feelings that are being felt in that moment and replace the word “sorry” with healthier language. Something I did when coming into work late due to a car issue was apologize for not being on time, despite the fact that I provided a warning and had no control of the situation. Something else I could have said was “thank you for waiting.” Small changes like this can make a big impact on breaking the cycle. Therapy can also be a very good way to combat the action and try to work through what it is that the word “sorry” is replacing. It can be difficult to do, even uncomfortable. 

However, I want to remind anyone who reads this that it’s okay to not be perfect. It’s okay to exist and take up space. No one is inconvenient. 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

‘NEW HORIZONS’ UPDATE


Graphics by Addison Watts

Jan 7. 2026 | Abbi Duhart | News Editor

Those who love spending their time playing chill video games are likely familiar with the popular game franchise Animal Crossing, and are waiting in anticipation for the large update to “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” coming Jan. 15. 

New Horizons was originally released in 2020 exclusively on Nintendo platforms such as the Nintendo Switch. The game itself is fairly open in what the player can do, but does have some goal oriented tasks and requires tasks for progression, especially at the beginning. Players begin the game by customizing their character and selecting an island type to live on. The island types differ based on where cliffs and rivers are located, and players can use this to base what kind of design they would like while being aware that they can landscape — move around — these two things later on in the game. Once they select their island type, the player will pick a location for their tent and then start on their island. In the beginning, the player won’t be able to cross any rivers or climb cliffs until they get the resources to build a vaulting pole and ladder. Later on, they can spend bells — money — to build bridges and stairs for easy transportation around their island. 

Throughout the game, players can collect resources to build various things like decorations and buildings. Animal Crossing is centered around designing and decorating your island, but there are also other small tasks players can work on. They can collect fossils for their museum and work on filling all of the exhibits. Once they achieve a fishing rod and net, they can also collect sea creatures and bugs which can either be donated to the museum or sold for bells. 

Players can also interact with villagers living on their island, and, eventually, can move around their villagers’ houses to certain locations. Many Animal Crossing players work to get aesthetic villagers to fit the vibe of their island even though they have little control over this. A villager can randomly tell the player that they want to leave and the player can either accept or decline — the only control players have over what villagers they want on their island. 

As time progresses, players can also work on achieving a five-star island rating. This rating is based on the attractiveness and cleanliness of their island, and can be found when talking to Isabelle at the city hall. Players can improve their rating by pulling weeds, picking up stray items and decorating their island. 

Another creative aspect that goes into the game is the option to decorate inside the player’s house as well as change their outfit. Players can buy furniture and clothing from stores on their island to customize their look, and can buy house extensions such as new rooms and more floors from Tom Nook. To expand their house, players must ensure their current loan to Tom Nook is already paid off, and similarly, to expand from their beginning tent to a house they must earn enough to pay off their loan.

The upcoming update is sure to expand on all of these aspects as well as bring back fan requests from previous Animal Crossing games such as “Animal Crossing: New Leaf.” One aspect of the update is a new Resort Hotel building that visitors to the island can stay at. Players can customize the guest rooms based on a theme in their resort hotel as well as buy new outfits for visitors. Villagers that visit your island can be found staying at the hotel, walking around enjoying the scenery, inside the museum or shopping at Nook’s. Players can also buy amiibo cards that they can scan to get certain villagers to visit their island, an aspect of New Leaf that many players wanted to bring back. 

Players can also take on requests from Tom Nook to craft island goods that will then be delivered. Each request that players fulfill can then be traded in for hotel tickets. Decorating rooms can also earn hotel tickets, and tickets can be exchanged in the souvenir shop for hotel novelties and other exclusive items. 

If players have an online membership, they can also visit Slumber Island to create a whole new island in addition to the one they already have with friends. They can do all of the same things on this island such as terraform, build and decorate. Players can do this with up to three additional islands, and can use these to create vacation islands away from their main one.

A basic expansion players can also expect is the ability to play online with up to 12 other players. Currently, the max is eight players. Players can also expect more storage space, with space increasing from 5,000 items to 9,000.

Players can also utilize Resetti’s cleanup service in the new update. Rather than completely creating a new island when they want a fresh start, this provides the option to select a specific area on their island and have Resetti clear it out. They can have Resetti clear out flowers, decorations or everything.

The new update will also include various crossovers. Players can buy items that are Nintendo-specific, like a Nintendo Switch or a Game Boy, for their island, and can also buy LEGO items, including LEGO furniture and clothing. Legend of Zelda amiibo cards can be scanned by players as villagers and will unlock furniture and clothing items based on Legend of Zelda. Newly added characters from Zelda, including Tulin and Mineru, can also become villagers on your island. These same things apply with the Splatoon series, introducing Cece or Viché visitors. 

All in all, both avid Animal Crossing players and new players can expect many fun additions in the new update that will make playing even more enjoyable.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Monmouth holiday activities

Graphic by Addison Watts

Dec. 3 2025 | Abbi Duhart | News Editor

The countdown for Monmouth’s “Making Spirits Bright” has begun. This is a series of holiday-themed events that take place in Monmouth over the month of December, beginning Dec. 5 with the annual holiday parade.

To kick off the season, the Monmouth Business Association will be hosting several events Dec. 5, including free cocoa and cider, the Merry Market and the holiday parade, with activities in the Werner University Center to follow. The Merry Market will feature local businesses and artisans selling various goods, taking place in the WUC at 4 p.m. Following this, cocoa and cider will be offered next to the giant sequoia tree on campus. Along with refreshments, Western swag will be given away on a first-come, first-serve basis. This portion of the festivities is sponsored by WOU Alumni Relations and will begin at 5:30 p.m. The main event — the holiday parade — will take place at 6 p.m. for the 58th year in a row. The parade will start at the Monmouth Public Library and travel to campus along Monmouth Avenue. Following the parade, residents will hear welcome speeches from both the Monmouth and Independence mayors as well as Western’s president, Jesse Peters. The elementary school’s annual essay contest winner will also be announced, and the student will read their essay. Finally, a countdown will commence, and the sequoia tree will be lit. Following the parade, more events will take place in the WUC, such as photos with Santa in the Willamette Room and cookie decorating on the first floor. 

From 5 to 9 p.m., residents can also visit local businesses downtown that offer specials and discounts during the Tree Lighting. To keep tabs on what businesses are offering, follow the Monmouth Business Association at @mbamonmouth on Instagram.

Residents can also participate in Wolfie on the Shelf all of December. To join in, travel to one of the local businesses participating and grab a passport to fill out during the event. Those who find Wolfie at 10 or more participating businesses can turn in their passport to be entered into a prize drawing. To find out which businesses are participating, visit the Monmouth Business Association website. 

To get more into the giving nature of the holidays, residents can support Toys for Tots by donating toys and gifts to children in Monmouth and Independence who otherwise might not get any gifts. Running through Dec. 15, toys or donations can be dropped off at Fee Mail Depot. During the last holiday season, Polk, Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties were able to support 13,873 children. 

For more holiday cheer, grab some hot cocoa and visit Main Street Park and downtown Monmouth to view Christmas lights and displays.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Telepathy

A graphic of a brain | made by Mina Clower

Nov. 19 2025 | Abbi Duhart | News Editor

Dr. Diane Hennacy has been one of a few scientists who have worked to test the theory that non-verbal individuals can use telepathy when communicating with those they’re closest to. Many professionals in the field believe her attempts are futile because she’s trying to prove a pseudoscience — science that isn’t based on the scientific method. In response to this, Hennacy claimed that many individuals around the world have proved telepathy to be true, but the number will never be enough to prove something that is labeled as impossible. Whether this theory is true or not is up for debate, but I’m going to dive into her research and findings.

Hennacy predicted that the group most likely to show signs of telepathy were non-vocal, autistic children with savant — exceptional abilities in memory, music, math or art — skills. She believed that these individuals were highly likely to feel more motivated in finding an alternative method of communication with their caregivers, starting at a very early age. She even argues that telepathy isn’t that much harder to believe than savants themselves, because savants know a multitude of information without any history or exposure to it, something that can also feel impossible. The examples she provides for this include twins who could provide prime numbers up to 20 digits without knowing basic math, and children spontaneously drawing the periodic table without previously being exposed to it.

Families who heard of her work reached out to her because they felt their children were exhibiting signs of telepathy. Hennacy tested three children in the United States from families that reached out, and found results that she felt pointed towards telepathy. She tested each child with randomized words, letters, numbers and pictures, and each child was able to identify them with astoundingly accurate results. While her conclusion is that telepathy, or something similar, must be going on, she acknowledged that her testing protocol was not optimal.

Hennacy’s working theory for how telepathy works has to do with how autistic brains function. When these groups of people engage in cognitive tasks, their cortex is relatively quiet, while that of a neurotypical individual is very loud. Because of this, those with autism are often extremely detail-oriented and able to perceive very subtle changes that a neurotypical person may not catch. Hennacy predicts that if telepathy has anything to do with separating signals from background noise, these individuals’ high sensitivity would make them more likely to experience this. Additionally, savants have high accuracy in sensory perception, and those with autism are often not limited by beliefs about what is possible, while neurotypicals only see what they expect to see. 

Another aspect that makes proving her theory difficult is the fact that a lot of these individuals use facilitated communication. This means that, while the child would type out an answer, their parent or someone close to them would be supporting their movements through physical touch. Many skeptics of Hennacy’s theory speculate that these children just have their parents putting in the correct answer, or nudging them in the right direction, since they’re being supported with touch.

One of the individuals Dr. Hennacy tested was a 9-year-old mute and autistic girl named Haley. She does not use facilitated communication, and instead she communicates by pointing to letters and numbers, or by typing into a device called a talker that provides text-to-speech. Initially, Haley’s parents thought she was a math savant because she could solve complicated equations with no prior knowledge. At one point, her therapist gave her an exponential equation, and she typed the answer into her device unprompted. Her therapist had accidentally switched the calculator only the therapist could view to display the answer. Shocked, the therapist asked how Haley knew the answer, and Haley typed, “I see the numerators and denominators in your head.” To follow this, Haley would type in answers to things only her therapist knew, such as her landlord’s name, the exact words her therapist was thinking when looking at a picture that wasn’t visible to her and even novels that her therapist knew word for word, some even in foreign languages.

Bo, an 11-year-old boy, showed similar traits to Haley. His mother said he would often tell her words or numbers that she hadn’t outwardly expressed. Like Haley, Bo could tell the answer to any math equation he was given as long as his mother knew the answer or was looking at the answer. If his mom didn’t know the answer, he could no longer solve the equation. Bo’s ability to correctly say a word or number his mom was thinking of was tested. He received a blindfold and went to the opposite side of the room, facing away from his mother. With these restraints, Bo was tested on 25 different answers 14 times, and ended with an average of 84% correct.

Ramses, a 5-year-old boy with autism, could read seven languages out loud by 2 years old and could solve algebra problems from age 4, both signs of a savant. His mother reported him to Dr. Hennacy as being telepathic with her. Hennacy used a random number generator to test Ramses by generating a number, giving it to his mother in secret, and asking him what the number was. His overall accuracy was 90%.

The scientific method is tried and true, so it can be hard to be open to such a far-out topic that isn’t supported by it yet. Who’s to say, though, that we won’t have the information someday to fully support the idea of telepathy in nonverbal individuals. I believe that furthering scientific advancement involves looking at things that feel impossible, and what feels more impossible than the idea of telepathy?

 

Contact the author at howlnews@mail.wou.edu

 

‘Fake news’

A photo of a book wall. | Photo from @northportbooks on Instagram

Nov. 19 2025 | Belen Ponce Leal | Lifestyle Editor

In February of 1998, a research paper was released linking autism to vaccinations. This paper has long been proven to be false, with multiple factors in the experiment being questionable at best. Unethical decisions and “callous disregard” for the children that participated in the study are just a few reasons why people questioned these findings. Then, 12 years after the paper was released, one of the doctors who worked on this study admitted that several elements of the paper were incorrect. Despite this, there are still a small number of people who wholeheartedly believe these vaccines are harmful. 

The definition of a fact, according to Oxford Languages, is “a thing that is known or proved to be true.” Yet, we live in a world where it is getting harder to distinguish what is true and what is partially true. Even with the accessibility of information at our fingertips, there are many who will believe a video they watched on social media to be fact, despite the very real possibility that it may not be true. Or it may have been misconstrued — it may be factually correct, but lacking context. However, after researching this subject, I’ve come to the realization that facts by themselves don’t usually convince people to change the way they think. It’s often tied to emotion and community.

We as humans are a species that needs a semi-accurate understanding of the world in order to live in it comfortably. We are also very social creatures. Since the dawn of the species, humans have traveled in tribes, working together to survive. Accuracy and truth aren’t the only things that are important to the human mind. We also have a desire to belong. Humans have always had the desire to bond and have relationships with others. We want to be people who fit in and have the approval of others. It is difficult to think of a feeling worse than rejection or disapproval by the person you want it from the most.

In a lot of people’s minds, social connection is more helpful to us in our daily lives than it is for us to understand the truth of a certain idea or fact. We sometimes compromise the truth to make ourselves look better to certain people or a certain community. False beliefs might not be useful in a factual sense, but they are in a social one. James Clear, who wrote an article called “Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds,” calls this way of thinking “factually false, but socially accurate.” When it comes to choosing being right over friends and family, the latter usually wins. This is why we, as people, tolerate things that might offend us. It is why a person will bite their lip and turn away if a family member says something that offends them. 

Another thing to consider is motivated reasoning. This is when people go to great lengths to try and persuade others that the facts are incorrect or that sources are unreliable. Humans are hard-wired to have an emotional response faster than our conscious thought. Information that supports a person’s preexisting view on the world or thoughts on a subject will be accepted a lot faster than something that completely contradicts it. A lot of the time, people do this to make themselves feel better about new information that contradicts their beliefs. 

That also ties into the misinterpretation of facts. A lot of facts are taken completely out of context to be used to support an argument that the fact wasn’t intended to be used for. Some usually do this, not necessarily to tell the truth, but to “prove” their point of view or attack another. 

So, if facts can’t change a person’s worldview, there has to be another way to do it. After all, we are all constantly evolving and changing our beliefs. The best way to change someone’s mind is by giving them a new view of what a community looks like. If someone were to completely abandon their beliefs, they would lose their family and their ties to the community that embraced them. James Clear put it best: “No one wants their worldview torn apart if loneliness is the outcome.”

However, like the vaccine belief, these ideas can hang around for a while. A reason that they do is because people continue to discuss them. Ideas are remembered when repeated — that’s also the only way they can be believed. A person is more likely to believe a crazy concept if it comes from someone they know. The train of thought is usually something along the lines of “I know this person. I like them, I share some beliefs with them, why should I not consider this one too?” 

One way to combat this is to let the ideas rest; let them die out and be forgotten. This isn’t to say not to speak up for people who are attacked. However, maybe we as people need to change our strategy in dealing with these situations. Being ignorant is a lot harder to do when the person has friends who think differently than they do. Befriending them and being kind to them is the best way to give someone the opportunity to change their beliefs. As Selena Gomez said, “kill ‘em with kindness.”

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

 

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Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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