The myth of the myth

I’m not a big fan of outreach that states myths vs. realities.  Why waste words repeating what isn’t true?  It could reinforce the falsehood.

A couple of years back, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tried to combat myths about the flu vaccine by listing commonly held views and labeling them either “true” or “false.” Examples of myths were, “The side effects are worse than the flu” and “Only older people need flu vaccine.”  University of Michigan social psychologist Norbert Schwarz found that after reading the flier, the target audience incorrectly recalled 28 percent of the false statements as true. And three days later, they remembered 40 percent of the myths as factual.

If you are trying to overcome a falsehood, you’re doing yourself no favors by repeating it—even if only to debunk it.  Repeating myths perpetuates them.

Don’t convey information that’s not key to your single message - or a “myth”.  Keep focused on the single right message and people will be more likely to catch it - and recall it.

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