Researchers who study belief dynamics often use analogies to understand and model the complex cognitive-social systems that underlie why we believe the things we do and how those beliefs can change over time. Ideas can be transmitted like a virus, for instance, ‘infecting’ a population as they spread from person to person. We might be drawn — like magnets — to others with a similar worldview. A society’s beliefs can shift slowly before reaching a tipping point that thrusts society into a new phase. A new article explores the benefits — and potential pitfalls — of several common analogies used to model belief dynamics.
