Minnesota Public Radio: When what you believe doesn't agree with the facts

A story on Minnesota Public Radio about people who refuse to believe there is no link between vaccines and autism looks at the role that "motivated reasoning" plays, and reports the phenomenon is described by researchers from UB and other institutions, who have found that people suffer from uncomfortable cognitive dissonance when they hear information that conflicts with their existing beliefs, and then seek out information that supports their original opinion while ignoring contradictory information.