“there are also deeper forces behind our resistance to rethinking. questioning ourselves makes the world more unpredictable, it requires us to admit that the facts may have changed, that what was once right may now be wrong. reconsidering something we believe deeply can threaten our identities, making it feel as if we’re losing a part of ourselves. rethinking isn’t a struggle in every part of our lives, when it comes to our obsessions, we update with fervour, we refresh our wardrobes when they go out of style, and renovate our kitchens when they’re no longer in Vogue. when it comes to our knowledge and opinions though, we tend to stick to our guns. psychologists call this ceasing and freezing. we favour the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt and we let our beliefs brittle long before our bones”