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Post # 1 - Assignment 1: Red Flags & Reasons for Belief

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Post # 1 - Assignment 1: Red Flags & Reasons for Belief

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By Rebecca Gnanasingam - Working Individually

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I chose to evaluate and analyze the video of Kylie Jenner promoting Sugar Bear Hair and Multivitamins

Define Problem (extraordinary claim)
Does Sugar Bear Gummies cause hair growth?

Gather Information
In the video above, Kylie Jenner posts multiple snaps of her promoting Sugar Bear Hair and Multivitamins, where she speaks about how she loves and recommends the product, as it helps her with her hair growth.

Evaluate Evidence
Kylie Jenner started off her fame being a member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, building popularity and her empire through being under the public eye. Being such an influencer through her presence on social media, organizations would be more inclined to have her endorse products, such as Sugar Bear did in this case. She is also wearing a wig throughout the series of snaps in where she is promoting the product in which also sounds scripted when she explains it. She has no science background either.

Recognize Assumptions, Emotions, Biases
Kylie Jenner seems to assume that this is a great product for Sugar Bear as she was endorsed to advertise it. In the series of snaps itself, she hash-tagged “#ad” as she continued to rave about the product being so great. She showed one of her snaps taking a bite of the gummies, but other then that there’s no proof as to whether the product works. Her emotion throughout the series of snaps was very monotone, and as previously mentioned seemed a bit scripted.

Synthesize Evidence, Identify Alternatives

Alternative solution 1: Sugar Bear Hair gummies help promote hair growth, supported by Kylie Jenner and other celebrities

Alternative solution 2: Sugar Bear Hair gummies does not cause hair growth, supported by evidence through experiments done by researchers and other consumers that tested the product and found no hair growth had occurred – if anything they did receive the nutrients in the gummies with all the vitamins found in the gummies

Select Best Alternative

I therefore conclude that after seeing multiple articles, these gummies do not help with hair growth.

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Definition
When one wants to defend their reason towards a belief, emotions play a very heavy role. Emotional connection is otherwise known as the reason of belief where the role of emotions plays a huge part in the way we believe in certain things.

Connection
Some may ask “what is love” – and everyone has a different definition to the meaning of “love” based on their experiences and beliefs. To me, love is when you feel a sense of belonging, which encompasses with the belief that you are liked and appreciated by others. It is a feeling of joy and happiness, and typically projects positive feelings. In this video, actor Will Smith analyzes and goes into depth of his meaning of love.

As skeptical as an emotion may be, it can be a reason of belief as it makes individuals feel a way where they feel a connection to the idea of a positive feeling.

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Definition
When observing the ideological reason of belief, individuals will base their belief on mere ideas that are created. As defined in the Oxford dictionary, it is a “system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy” (https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/ideology).

Connection
I chose the picture of Barak Obama as an example of the ideology that I personally believe he was one of the best Presidents to be in office in American history and had a great relationship with Canada in political terms. This ideology that I feel a strong connection to Obama is through the belief of what I have seen him do in relation to American politics, for example, introducing Obamacare to those who did not have any healthcare insurance, making health care a priority in the country as it should be and no human should not have the opportunity to having good healthcare.

This opinion can be very bias, as many others may have a different perception of Obama, however, when I use the critical thinking process, to me all the facts that I find on Obama seem to support my belief in him as a leader.

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Definition
When we observe the reason of belief of agenticity, it is when individuals are more inclined to believe in something by assigning meaning to agents, or invisible beings for one. An individual can tend to believe in something that doesn’t physically exist, rather they were raised to believe in a belief.

Connection
One specific example that comes to mind when it relates to agenticity is angels. Growing up in the Catholic faith, I was raised to believe in angels, as they are a significance to believe that there is always someone watching down on us and protecting us. Personally, because I believe in my faith, I do believe that angels exist, but more so that they are spiritual beings that protect us from harm and guide us down the right path. It is like a subconscious spirit that guides us.

When using the critical thinking process, there are many articles that state that it is still a mystery to crack as to whether angels exist, as there has not been any solid proof proving otherwise. This is still a mysterious phenomenon that continues to be investigated.

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Definition
As we live in a time and day where healthy living is highly encouraged, we also tend to see multiple products and services claiming to be “all natural”. All natural is when a claim uses the term “natural” interchangeably to make an individual more inclined to believing that the product or service is the better option then the traditional things you see on the shelves.

Connection
As we have seen on social media platforms, the celery juice trend began to blow up over time and has been spreading as the new way of detoxing your body and helps with loosing weight. Many people tend to believe that this “all-natural celery juice” is effective in promoting a healthy lifestyle while also detoxing your body free of toxins. The source of the “celery juice cleanse” started by an individual named Anthony William, also known as the “Medical Medium” on social media. He claims that by drinking 16 ounces of celery juice can lead to improved gut appearance, weight loss, clear skin, flushing out viruses, and many more benefits to your health (https://www.unitypoint.org/livewell/article.aspx?id=a1284bfe-7c51-454f-a5d1-32dba5b25e3b&Celery+Juicing%3A+Superfood+or+Super+Fad%3F). With this being a full, all natural way of loosing weight and reaping health benefits, it has been compared to not truly be as great as it seems, for one, by juicing it, you can loose healthy fibre, cannot prevent cancer, and cannot prevent digestive disorders, as Williams claims otherwise. There is still no scientific evidence to show that the claims Williams made are true about celery juice being the “all natural” way to lose weight and detoxify your body. In connection to the critical thinking process, ensure that you are evaluating all the evidence necessary before falling for the fad. Check the credibility and verify the source to see whether this claim is true or not.

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Definition
When an individual tends to have belief over a claim or statement made through word of mouth of others, it is believed to be proof of verbosity. Proof of verbosity looks at the quantity of “evidence” which leads individuals to believe in something based on the number of people who claim to state that it is true.

Connection
In the grotto of Massabielle, France, 14-year-old Bernadette was believed to have seen Mother Mary and was instructed to dig a hole in the ground, from which a spring of water began to flow out of the hole miraculously, and has remained active to this day. (https://ollsm.com/story-of-lourdes) Muddy waters were cleared and all that streamed from this hole was fresh, pure water. I myself had the opportunity to go visit this holy place back in 2010 , as in the Catholic religion it is believed to be a popular pilgrimage site to visit. However, in modern day it is believed that this “holy water” has “healing powers” to cure the sick. 68 cases were reported where people claimed they were cured of their disabilities and sicknesses simply from bathing or drinking this holy water. It is very easy to become skeptical about this claim, but at the same time as a Catholic myself, I view it more as water that gives us blessings and symbolizes the baptism of Jesus rather then the water itself having special healing powers, which to some, can be a popular proof of verbosity as there is a quantity of evidence to lead individuals to believe in this holy water as a healing substance

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Lourdes: A Miraculous Spring - EWTN Vaticano

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Definition
When an individual tends to believe in a claim or theory because they tend to remember only the facts that benefit their belief, it is known as confirmation bias. Confirmation bias can make an individual to only believe in what they view as truth and tend to cut out and ignore the facts behind the statement or claim, only putting forward to believe in their version of the truth.

Connection
The below video that I had found interestingly in connection to confirmation bias is a clip from the famous “That 70’s Show”. In this specific clip, the character Kelso and others walk into Eric’s basement where Eric’s sister Laurie was doing laundry. Oozing over the fact that Laurie was just in a sweatshirt, closer to the end of the video Kelso shares his “perception” of the entire interaction with Laurie as if she was coming onto him (starts at 1:57 of video), when in reality, that was not the case at all. Kelso had picked and chose what he wanted to believe as true, which is the fact that Laurie had infatuation towards him. A connection to the pseudoscience watchlist is the appeal to emotion, as Kelso shows vulnerability towards Laurie and his emotion overpowers rational thought. Even though the others were there to witness what exactly went down, Kelso will always believe that him and Laurie have an emotional connection after this interaction.

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Definition
Ancient wisdom is referred to as a belief in which individuals believe in based on the claim being made by individuals from the ancient times. Some tend to believe in traditions of such as they have been passed down over history, and thus believe that because it’s been passed down for decades, centuries, or even years, it is most probably true.

Connection
The myth that I decided to dive into correlating to this red flag is the belief of humans only using 10% of our brain. Researchers tend to believe that this belief came into existence back in the 1900’s, where it arose from writing by psychologist and philosopher William James. In his writings, he claimed that “we are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources” (https://www.verywellmind.com/10-percent-of-brain-myth-2794882), however neurologists have debunked this myth over time. Yet, even after modern science has proven the myth otherwise, there are many individuals who still seem to believe that we only use 10% of our brain. When observing this claim, it is important to use the critical thinking process as it leads you to evaluate, compare, analyze, critique and synthesize the information being presented throughout this claim, which is what the neurologists did to debunk the claim of only using 10% of your brain

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The human brain is complex and still quite mysterious. It is perhaps for this reason why so many myths about how the brain works persist, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary. One of the most common of these myths is often referred to as the 10% of brain myth, or the idea that human beings really only fully utilize a tiny percentage of their brain's power and potential.

The popular and widely-spread belief that we only use or have access to 10% of our brain's power is often used to speculate about the extent of human abilities if only we could utilize our brain's full capacity. People often experience the shortcomings of their own mental abilities, such as failing to understand a complex math problem or forgetting some vital piece of information. It is perhaps because of this that people frequently feel they possess some untapped potential, if only they could unlock that inaccessible portion of their mind.

The Origins of the Myth

Researchers suggest that this popular urban legend has existed since at least the early 1900s. It may have been influenced by people misunderstanding or misinterpreting neurological research. The 10% myth may have emerged from the writings of psychologist and philosopher William James. In his 1908 book, The Energies of Men, he wrote, "We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources."

The myth has perpetuated much like other urban legends. Movies depict characters capable of remarkable feats when the supposedly unused 90% of their brains are "unlocked." Well-intentioned people such as motivational speakers or teachers often cite the 10% myth as a way to demonstrate that all people should strive to live up to their full potential. Unfortunately, less well-meaning people have also used the myth to promote and sell products and services that they claim will unlock your brain's hidden abilities.

Debunking the 10 Percent Myth

Neuroscientists point out a number of reasons why the 10% myth is false:

Brain imaging scans clearly show that almost all regions of the brain are active during even fairly routine tasks such as talking, walking, and listening to music.

If the 10% myth were true, people who suffer brain damage as the result of an accident or stroke would probably not notice any real effect. In reality, there isn't a single area of the brain that can be damaged without resulting in some sort of consequence.

We would not have evolved such large brains if we were only using a tiny portion of them.

The brain uses approximately 20% of the body's energy.﻿﻿ It would make little evolutionary sense to have such a large portion of our energy resources utilized by such a tiny amount of the brain.

Brain mapping research has yet to find any region of the brain that does not serve a function.﻿﻿ "Numerous types of brain imaging studies show that no area of the brain is completely silent or inactive," wrote Dr. Rachel C. Vreeman and Dr. Aaron E. Carroll in a study of medical myths. "Detailed probing of the brain has failed to identify the 'non-functioning' 90 percent."

Unfortunately, the 10% myth remains both popular and persistent. It has been repeated in popular culture in everything from advertisements to television programs to Hollywood blockbusters such as the 2014 film Lucy starring Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman.

The next time you hear someone claim that we only use 10% of our brains, you'll be able to explain why this statement is not true. Not to say that human beings don't have amazing potential; we just use 100% of our brains to accomplish these remarkable feats.

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Do You Really Use Only 10 Percent of Your Brain?

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The human brain is complex and still quite mysterious. It is perhaps for this reason why so many myths about how the brain works persist, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary.

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Definition
When a claim is thought to be true with the use of an authoritative figure claiming it’s truth, it is commonly referred to as “appeal to authority”. Individuals are more likely to believe in a claim or product due to an individual in an authoritative position states the claim is true, such as a celebrity or a person in a white lab coat. Organizations use celebrity endorsements as a tactic for consumers to believe in a product just because the celebrity claims that using the product may reap great benefits.

Connection

In the following video posted below, celebrity Kylie Jenner shares a series of Snapchats endorsing and sharing her love and belief in the product “Sugar Bear Hair Vitamins & Multivitamins”. She claims that this product helps with “body wellness for woman” while also mentioning that it is a “vegan” product. As it turns out, there has not yet been any proof associated with how these “Sugar Bear Gummies” help promote good health. If anything, studies have shown that “there is lack of sufficient evidence for biotin supplementation in healthy individuals” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28879195). Personally, as much as I am a fan of the Kardashians, I feel heavily skeptical about this product as to me, it's hard to believe that these gummies would increase hair growth. This is an example of appeal to authority red flag as Sugar Bear is using celebrity endorsements like Kylie Jenner to make consumers believe that it is a product that works.

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Kylie Jenner Promoting new Sugar Bear Hair Vitamins