When scientists acknowledge the limits of their knowledge, people trust them more and are more likely to follow scientific recommendations.
An international team led by the University of Pittsburgh, with participation from the University of Vienna, investigated mechanisms for trust in science. Through surveys and online experiments, they were ultimately able to show that "intellectual humility" plays a central role. The study authors mean by this, for example, the willingness of scientists to acknowledge the limits of their own knowledge and to adapt to new, potentially contradictory findings. According to the new study, this humility increases the trustworthiness of scientists in society. The results were recently published in the renowned journal Nature Human Behaviour.
Original publication:
Koetke, J., Schumann, K., Bowes, S. M., & Vaupoti?, N. (2024). The effect of seeing scientists as intellectually humble on trust in scientists and their research. Nature Human Behaviour.
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-02060-x
