BELIEF BIAS, SYLLOGISM, FLUENCY HEURISTIC, and RHYME-AS-REASON EFFECT
BELIEF BIAS is the tendency to accept a conclusion as true just because it's easy to believe. In other words, people call something true if it's easy for them to believe and call what they can't believe a lie. Unfortunately whether something is true or not has nothing to do with whether or not it aligns with our beliefs and values.
For instance, it's easier to believe that the earth is flat than it is round. That was why philosophers and scientists who first suggested that the earth was round were persecuted.
Some people find it easy to believe that serious illnesses are spiritual attacks. Therefore when a doctor says a patient requires more tests and treatments and a spiritual healer says he can only be healed via spiritual means, the relatives remove him from the hospital and take him to the spiritual healer's place. It's because the spiritual healer's statement aligns more with their belief. Meanwhile they have failed to verify whose statement is indeed true.
Whatever you accept as true via belief bias may actually be true in the end but you need to critically verify it before you accept it as true.
SYLLOGISM is a logical argument in which a conclusion is inferred from two or more other conclusions (called premises). Many times we reason via syllogisms. Examples:
He's never around on Fridays. (premise 1)
Today is Friday. (premise 2)
Therefore he won't be around today. (conclusion)
Facebook is a lovely thing. (premise 1)
I love lovely things. (premise 2)
Therefore I love Facebook. (conclusion)
However the validity of the conclusion relies on the validity of each premise and the validity of the relationship among them. A wrong syllogism is defined as a fallacy. Belief bias can make someone accept a conclusion as true regardless of the premises. In other words, belief bias makes people commit fallacies.
Examples
Homosexuality is unnatural.
Unnatural things are wrong.
Therefore homosexuality is wrong.
Delivery by cesarean section is unnatural.
Unnatural things are wrong.
Therefore delivery by cesarean section is wrong.
These two syllogisms are exactly the same in every aspect. However many people will accept the conclusion of the homosexuality one and reject the conclusion of the cesarean section one. It's because the the conclusion of the homosexuality one aligns with their beliefs and values while the conclusion of the cesarean section one goes against their beliefs. This is belief bias.
Experience is needed to be a good president.
Old people have experience.
Buhari is an old person.
Therefore Buhari is a good president.
The conclusion may be right or wrong. We can only know if we critically examine the three premises leading to it. However people who are bent on taking Buhari as a good president because they are suffering from belief bias won't care. All that matters is they agree with the logic because the conclusion aligns with their belief.
Belief bias works because beliefs are complex superstructures that are difficult to destroy or modify. That's why people find it easier to reject any new information that contradicts their belief than accept this new information and then modify their belief. It's like having to get a new phone that's compatible with an app just to be able to install the app. Belief bias is one of the pathways for Semmelweis reflex and belief conservatism (discussed in volume 1).
FLUENCY HEURISTIC aka Keats heuristic (remember "heuristics" from volume 2) is tendency to accept something as true all because it's easier to process (fluency). People find it easier to believe a statement that is simple, smooth, and fluent even if it's false. It's because a statement that is complex even if it's true may be difficult to believe for people. It's the reason why an articulate people convince people more even if they're lying than inarticulate people who are saying the truth. It is why slogans are very useful in convincing people.
Sometimes it has to do with the structure of the statement. If it's aesthetic (i.e., if it contains embellishments), then people may accept it easily. This is why mass communicators and professional marketers are very good at convincing people. It's also the reason why people believe herbal people more than they believe doctors. A doctor's speech is many times filled with jargons and it's too complex to understand whereas a tewétegbò person communicates in simple language. It's because simple language doesn't require system 2 (discussed in volume 2).
A special type of fluency heuristic is RHYME-AS-TRUE EFFECT. A rhyme is an example of statement embellishments I mentioned earlier. In rhyme-as-reason effect, people tend to believe a statement if it exists in a rhyme. It's because rhymes are attractive and are easily picked up by system 1.
"PRAY so as not to fall PREY."
"If you fail to pay your TITHES, your life will be TIGHT."
"If you DESIRE to ASPIRE, you will not RETIRE to ACQUIRE."
This is the trick of motivational speakers but a rhyme doesn't equate truth. In fact, the same statement can be changed and the rhyme will still remain.
For instance,
Remove "not" in the first one and it becomes:
"PRAY so as to fall PREY."
Add "not" to the second one and it becomes:
"If you fail to pay your TITHES, your life will not be TIGHT."
Replace some words in the third one and it becomes:
"If you EXPIRE to REWIRE, you will not THURAYA to TIMAYA."
In all three situations, the rhymes have remained but the meanings of the statements have been altered. Just like in syllogism, a rhyme should only be accepted as true if it's indeed true not because it sounds nice to hear.