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from the I'm-morally-opposed-to-statements-about-morality dept.
Simply telling people that their opinions are based on morality will make them stronger and more resistant to counterarguments, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that people were more likely to act on an opinion - what psychologists call an attitude - if it was labeled as moral and were more resistant to attempts to change their mind on that subject.
The results show why appeals to morality by politicians and advocacy groups can be so effective, said Andrew Luttrell, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in psychology at The Ohio State University.
"The perception that an attitude we hold is based on morality is enough to strengthen it," Luttrell said.
"For many people, morality implies a universality, an ultimate truth. It is a conviction that is not easily changed."
The key finding was how easy it was to strengthen people's beliefs by using the 'moral' label, said Richard Petty, co-author of the study and professor of psychology at Ohio State.
"Morality can act as a trigger - you can attach the label to nearly any belief and instantly make that belief stronger," Petty said.
Always preface your comments with, "The Lord sayeth..."
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday June 03 2016, @03:18AM
Nice try, but if this is actually the case, Christians look WORSE that I portrayed them, as this is one of their usual arguments for Jesus being different from all those other religions' founders. That sound is the sound of 2.2 billion own goals at once. Nice job!
Besides which, Moses...is not the example you want to use. Nor is his demonic God, Yahweh. If YOU would read YOUR Bible a bit more, you'd notice Yahweh has much to say about not eating shellfish or mixing fabric, but has no problem with slavery. You are really, REALLY not in a position to be trying this argument.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...