Why Scholars Should Take Their Show On the Road

"Research across diverse domains-from economic decision-making to social stereotyping-has shown that human beings are " cognitive misers." In other words, our default mode for processing information favors bite-sized chunks. Leaving aside individual variability and motivational overrides, we prefer shortcuts and snap judgments over long, winding paths and deliberative thinking. However, the kind of research that has illuminated these very tendencies is itself the result of both zigzagging trails (including unavoidable dead ends, bushwacks, and backtracks) and systematic analysis."

"Bodies of research coalesce over time to form mountains of nuances and caveats that would appear to defy simple explanation. Academics and researchers, who have typically advanced by telling detailed stories about their data to each other, are thus at a fundamental disadvantagewhen it comes to sharing their work accurately and accessibly with a public audience-particularly one that may be increasingly skeptical about the value of higher education."

"To make a dent in our dizzying, anecdote-laced media environment, we need to talk in pithy soundbites that can be easily digested by many people. Many would argue that this seems not just at odds with the subtleties of in-depth inquiry but also an impossible task. I would argue that it is not only possible, it is imperative. If we cannot convey our findings and theories in accessible ways,"

Humans typically act as cognitive misers, favoring bite-sized chunks, shortcuts, and snap judgments over deliberative thinking. Research findings often emerge from complex, non-linear processes involving dead ends, backtracks, and systematic analysis. Bodies of research accumulate nuances and caveats that resist simple explanation. Academics and researchers often communicate detailed stories to peers, making their work less accessible to the general public and vulnerable to skepticism about higher education. The media environment privileges pithy soundbites and anecdotes, increasing the risk that academic insights remain marginalized. Communicating findings in concise, accessible formats can broaden public understanding and counter assumptions of elitism.

Read at Psychology Today