Why people fall for misinformation - Joseph Isaac
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0:07 - 0:10In 1901, David Hänig published a paper
-
0:10 - 0:14that forever changed
our understanding of taste. -
0:14 - 0:18His research led to what we know
today as the taste map: -
0:18 - 0:22an illustration that divides the tongue
into four separate areas. -
0:22 - 0:24According to this map,
-
0:24 - 0:27receptors at the tip of our tongues
capture sweetness, -
0:27 - 0:30bitterness
is detected at the tongue’s base, -
0:30 - 0:35and along the sides, receptors capture
salty and sour sensations. -
0:35 - 0:38Since its invention, the taste map
has been published -
0:38 - 0:40in textbooks and newspapers.
-
0:40 - 0:44The only problem with this map,
is that it’s wrong. -
0:44 - 0:47In fact, it’s not even
an accurate representation -
0:47 - 0:50of what Hänig originally discovered.
-
0:50 - 0:53The tongue map is a common misconception—
-
0:53 - 0:56something widely believed
but largely incorrect. -
0:56 - 0:59So where do misconceptions
like this come from, -
0:59 - 1:03and what makes a fake fact
so easy to believe? -
1:03 - 1:07It’s true that the tongue map’s
journey begins with David Hänig. -
1:07 - 1:10As part of his dissertation
at Leipzig University, -
1:10 - 1:16Hänig analyzed taste sensitivities across
the tongue for the four basic flavors. -
1:16 - 1:20Using sucrose for sweet,
quinine sulfate for bitter, -
1:20 - 1:24hydrochloric acid for sour,
and salt for salty, -
1:24 - 1:29Hänig applied these stimuli to compare
differences in taste thresholds -
1:29 - 1:31across a subject’s tongue.
-
1:31 - 1:34He hoped to better understand
the physiological mechanisms -
1:34 - 1:36that affected these four flavors,
-
1:36 - 1:40and his data suggested that sensitivity
for each taste -
1:40 - 1:43did in fact vary across the tongue.
-
1:43 - 1:47The maximum sensation for sweet
was located at the tongue’s tip; -
1:47 - 1:52bitter flavors were strongest at the back;
salt was strongest in this area, -
1:52 - 1:55and sour at the middle
of the tongue’s sides. -
1:55 - 1:58But Hänig was careful
to note that every sensation -
1:58 - 2:01could also be tasted across the tongue,
-
2:01 - 2:07and that the areas he identified offered
very small variations in intensity. -
2:07 - 2:09Like so many misconceptions,
-
2:09 - 2:13the tongue map represents a distortion
of its original source, -
2:13 - 2:16however the nature of that distortion
can vary. -
2:16 - 2:19Some misconceptions
are comprised of disinformation— -
2:19 - 2:23false information intentionally designed
to mislead people. -
2:23 - 2:26But many misconceptions,
including the tongue map, -
2:26 - 2:30center on misinformation—
false or misleading information -
2:30 - 2:35that results from unintentional
inaccuracy. -
2:35 - 2:39Misinformation is most often shaped
by mistakes and human error, -
2:39 - 2:42but the specific mistakes
that lead to a misconception -
2:42 - 2:45can be surprisingly varied.
-
2:45 - 2:46In the case of the tongue map,
-
2:46 - 2:49Hänig’s dissertation was written
in German, -
2:49 - 2:53meaning the paper could only be
understood by readers fluent in German -
2:53 - 2:57and well versed in Hanig’s
small corner of academia. -
2:57 - 3:02This kicked off a game of telephone
that re-shaped Häing’s research -
3:02 - 3:05every time it was shared
with outside parties. -
3:05 - 3:08Less than a decade after his dissertation,
-
3:08 - 3:11newspapers were falsely insisting
that experiments -
3:11 - 3:16could prove sweetness was imperceptible
on the back of the tongue. -
3:16 - 3:19The second culprit
behind the tongue map’s spread -
3:19 - 3:22were the images
that Hänig’s work inspired. -
3:22 - 3:27In 1912, a rough version of the map
appeared in a newspaper article -
3:27 - 3:29that cautiously described
some of the mysteries -
3:29 - 3:32behind taste and smell research.
-
3:32 - 3:36Featuring clear labels across the tongue,
the article’s illustration -
3:36 - 3:40simplified Hänig’s more-complicated
original diagrams. -
3:40 - 3:45Variations of this approachable image
became repeatedly cited, -
3:45 - 3:49often without credit or nuanced
consideration for Hänig’s work. -
3:49 - 3:53Eventually this image spread
to textbooks and classrooms -
3:53 - 3:58as a purported truth
of how we experience taste. -
3:58 - 4:01But perhaps the factor that most
contributed to this misconception -
4:01 - 4:04was its narrative simplicity.
-
4:04 - 4:05In many ways,
-
4:05 - 4:10the map complements our desire for clear
stories about the world around us— -
4:10 - 4:15a quality not always present
in the sometimes-messy fields of science. -
4:15 - 4:16For example,
-
4:16 - 4:21even the number of tastes we have is more
complicated than Hänig’s work suggests. -
4:21 - 4:27Umami— also known as savory—
is now considered the fifth basic taste, -
4:27 - 4:30and many still debate
the existence of tastes -
4:30 - 4:34like fatty, alkaline, metallic,
and water-like. -
4:34 - 4:36Once we hear a good story,
-
4:36 - 4:40it can be difficult to change
how we see that information, -
4:40 - 4:42even in the face of new evidence.
-
4:42 - 4:47So, next time you see a convenient chart
or read a surprising anecdote, -
4:47 - 4:50try to maintain a healthy skepticism—
-
4:50 - 4:53because misconceptions
can leave a bitter taste -
4:53 - 4:55on every part of your tongue.
- Title:
- Why people fall for misinformation - Joseph Isaac
- Speaker:
- Joseph Isaac
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-people-fall-for-misinformation-joseph-isaac
In 1901, David Hänig published research that led to what we know today as the taste map: an illustration that divides the tongue into four separate areas. It has since been published in textbooks and newspapers. There is just one problem: the map is wrong. So how do misconceptions like this spread, and what makes a fake fact so easy to believe? Joseph Isaac dives into the world of misinformation.
Lesson by Joseph Isaac, directed by CUB Animation.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:57
Elise Haadsma approved English subtitles for Why people fall for misinformation | ||
Elise Haadsma accepted English subtitles for Why people fall for misinformation | ||
lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for Why people fall for misinformation |