Hot take: I checked if book club debates actually change anyone's mind

I spent last month tracking opinions on 5 different debate topics across 3 book clubs I'm in. Kept a simple spreadsheet of where people stood before and after each discussion. Turns out only 2 out of 23 people shifted their stance on anything. Found a study from the University of Chicago that says group discussions mostly reinforce existing beliefs rather than change them. That stat blew my mind because I always thought debate was about persuasion. Has anyone else tracked this in their own club or am I just in particularly stubborn groups?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_vera5d ago

Only 2 out of 23 people shifted their stance" is honestly kind of amazing to me. I read this piece in The Atlantic a while back about how our brains treat being wrong like a physical threat, which is why we double down instead of changing our minds. It makes total sense when you think about it but it also makes me wonder if book clubs are even the right place for real debate. Are these people just there for the snacks and the socializing?

henry1015d ago

Agree with you @the_vera that 2 out of 23 is actually pretty impressive. Most book clubs I've been in are basically just organized snack time. We discussed a heavy book once and one guy spent the whole meeting talking about his new pressure cooker instead. The brain-as-physical-threat thing makes a lot of sense. I've definitely sat through conversations where people's faces go red just because someone suggested a different take. Maybe the real debate is about whether the chips should be served with dip or not.