In his recent book, Change or Die, author Alan Deutschman claims that although we have the ability to change our behavior, we rarely do. In fact, the odds are nine-to-one that when faced with a dire need to change, we won’t. Most smokers who are presented with a wealth of scientific data on the dangers of tobacco do not quit smoking. Our beliefs are what we feel in our gut and those beliefs are hard to change; we spent a lifetime developing and defending them. This explains why providing information rarely changes how people think or act.
