› added 8 years ago

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TIL that there is a psychological phenomenon called the Backfire Effect. Essentially, the more you try to convince someone they are wrong using facts and figures, the more convinced they become that their preexisting beliefs are correct.

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yQ8bM TIL When famed troll and philosopher Diogenes the Cynic was being sold as a slave, he listed his speciality as "ruling men." He subsequently pointed to Xeniades, a wealthy Corinthian and said, “Sell me to this man; he needs a master.” He was sold on the spot and became a tutor to Xeniades's sons.
M7GrB TIL Aqua Teen Hunger Force caused a bomb scare in 3 different cities, including Boston
mxKkM TIL about auto-antonyms, which are words that can have 2 different meanings that are the opposite of each other. (For example, the word bolt, which can mean "to secure together" or "to flee")
l5ZV TIL that the U.S. edition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the longest of the series at 870 pages, but it is written in 11.5-point Adobe Garamond font. It would be even longer if it was in 12-point font like the others in the series.
d8Njj TIL many doctors have stopped calling cancer treatment a "fight" or "battle". They argue these terms misrepresent how treatment works and if treatments fail, the patient is left with guilt and a false belief they didn't "fight" hard enough.