Why Do People Avoid Facts That Could Help Them?

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June 16, 2020

Dear Reader, We often prefer to avoid learning information that could cause us pain, even if it would be beneficial. Our lead story explores the science behind this deliberate ignorance. Also featured in today's roundup: opioids have been blamed for the deaths of at least 400,000 U.S. residents in the past two decades—but research now shows that number could be much higher. And, in climate news, greenhouse gas emissions are roaring back as coronavirus lockdowns lift. Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex discrimination, protects gay and transgender workers. It is a long-sought victory for the movement advocating for LGBT equality, but many hurdles remain. Medical and psychological associations have asked explicitly that Congress and state governments ban anti-gay conversion, or trying to alter an individual's sexual identity. In our editorial from January, featured below, Scientific American argues that this practice should be discarded because it is rooted in bad science and causes irreparable harm.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Behavior & Society Why Do People Avoid Facts That Could Help Them? Several studies suggest that individuals widely prefer to remain ignorant about information that would benefit them when it's painful—and sometimes when it's pleasurable By Francesca Gino

Public Health Fatal Opioid Overdoses May Be More Common Than Thought A new model shows opioid deaths may be significantly underreported  By Jillian Kramer

Space Universe's Coolest Lab Creates Bizarre Quantum Matter in Space Physicists have made a Bose–Einstein condensate on the International Space Station—allowing them to probe the mysteries of quantum physics in detail By Elizabeth Gibney,Nature magazine

Behavior & Society Using Poetry to Combat Loneliness and Social Isolation The Hope Storytelling Project uses introspective writing and open group discussions to address feelings of loneliness By David H. Xiang,Alisha M. Yi

Public Health African Countries Scramble to Ramp up Testing for COVID-19 Nations in the continent, which have had to import testing supplies and bid against richer countries, are trying to develop their own tests By Sarah Wild

Environment Carbon Levels Surge Again as Countries Emerge from Lockdown The temporary, and limited, reduction in emissions during the pandemic points to the need for larger structural changes By Benjamin Storrow,E&E News

FROM THE STORE Scientific American Digital & Full Archive For $69 per year, your Digital & Full Archive subscription includes 12 digital issues with full digital archive access back to 1845 and Android and iOS app access.

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FROM THE ARCHIVE A Nationwide Ban Is Needed for "Anti-Gay Therapy" Most states still allow this damaging practice targeting young teens By THE EDITORS | January 2020

QUOTE OF THE DAY "An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law." Neil M. Gorsuch, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

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