Question

James is especially prone to ulcers and has been told by friends and parents that spicy foods can lead to or aggravate ulcers. When dining with friends at a Mexican restaurant, he opts for a light salad. When asked why he was not indulging, he replies that he cannot eat spicy foods because he is prone to ulcers. Why might James believe this myth

Answer 1

Answer:

- Repetition

Explanation:

As per the situation, James may develop his faith in the myth that 'eating spicy food items will provoke ulcers' due to the constant repetition of the same idea from his family, as well as, friends. Researches display that repetition of a similar idea over and again promotes people to believe it as compared to believing something fresh or unrepeated. They call it 'Illusory truth effect' in which the repeated information processes quickly and easily in the recipient's mind and this is why they believe it to be true. The same is the thing with James who is constantly being told to avoid spicy food in order to not aggravate his proneness to ulcers and hence, he might take this myth as the truth.