Determined to be Wrong

I heard about a study recently which just kind of makes me disappointed about people. Especially since it's a problem that we learned about in my major, and a problem that I've seen myself.
So, people hear something, or get their own ideas about a certain topic. And they get attached to those ideas.
That's understandable.
Except then they hang onto those ideas, even when they learn that those ideas are wrong.
For example, the study I mentioned looked at people's views on a certain medical issue. The participants believed something about this procedure that simply wasn't true. And when they read a report on why they were wrong, they were MORE LIKELY to stick with their own ideas. Even when faced with evidence against them.

People don't want to learn. They want to go on living in their own dream world.
Well, I've got news. You may not think you're sick, but that doesn't mean you aren't. Refusing to recognize the truth will not change reality.

Here's the example I heard today while I was volunteering.
Sometimes when people find a baby bird, they decide to take care of it themselves.
This is a terrible idea.
Baby birds need very specific care depending on the species. They are very fragile, and if you feed them wrong you can kill them. Or it can cause problems in them for the rest of their lives (nutritionally, ex).
Today, a lady brought in a swallow, and she'd kept it for a week, trying to take care of it. And she'd been feeding it the wrong food. She finally brought it in because it wasn't doing well.
Big surprise.
So Greg, one of the guys I work with, went out to talk to her. He told her that the birds system was all gunked up because she'd been feeding it the wrong food. We'd try to help the bird, if we could, but it might be too late. Because of her care of it.
But the lady didn't seem to take him seriously. She apparently worked at a vet office, so she figured she knew best. Except wild birds are not what she knows about. She knows about domestic animals. And I bet she doesn't even know about domestic birds (which is a much more specialized field than dogs and cats). Just because she knows something about a few animals does not mean she should ignore the guy who is an expert on wild birds.
So, if she ever finds another baby bird, she'll probably make it really sick too by trying to take care of it...

I mentioned that this problem also relates to my major. Climate change is a good example. If people don't want to believe in climate change, then no amount of evidence is going to change their minds. Because if climate change is real, that means they have to change their habits. The horror.
Sigh.
There are so many awesome people out there who want to learn more and make the world a better place.
But I will never forget one poll I took part in. The results showed that the great majority of people would rather remain blissfully ignorant.
Again, people. Ignorance does not change reality. It just makes it so you can't fix your problems.