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“Health Psychology is naturally in alignment with a plant-based diet – There is no room for the anti-vaccination movement”
Finding My Psych Takes a Stand
At Finding My Psych, we promote a plant-based diet as part of a holistic approach to wellness. We in no way want to be associated with such fringe perspectives as the anti-vaccination movement.
The anti-vaccination movement is attempting to align itself with the plant-based movement, in particular, veganism. While a very small minority of vegans subscribe to ill-informed anti-vax beliefs, it is important for plant-based advocates of any kind, differentiate themselves from such radical ideas – The plant-based lifestyle will never be seen as a legitimate health alternative to the mainstream if this association solidifies.
Understanding the Empirical and Psychological Arguments
In today’s episode we review the importance of using science to understand the conclusions we make. With that said, we believe that every listener should commit to studying research methods in order to grasp a full understanding why the science does not back anti-vaccination arguments.
We discuss various thought errors and distortions often used to support fringe beliefs, regardless of the position of the person making the argument. While the topic of confirmation bias is regularly noted, we expand our conceptualization by providing an understanding of:
- All or Nothing Thinking
- Confusion of Causation and Correlations in Arguments
- Emotional Reason to Support Beliefs
Episode Outline
- Welcome New Listeners
- Community Portal
- Topics on fitness, emotional well-being, mental health, and addiction.
- You can also provide feedback about content you would like included in future episodes and articles.
- A plant-based and/or vegan lifestyle is not congruent with the anti-vaccination movement
- I made some anti-vaccination folks mad at me on twitter this week.
- Defining The Problem
- Finding My Psych supports and promotes a plant-based lifestyle for health and wellness.
- This has come at a cost because of an association with a loud and radical minority.
- Those believing in the anti-vaccination movement are attempting to attach themselves to plant-based and vegan advocates as a way to promote the, “clean vs. unclean” concept.
- Anti-vaccination proponents arguments similar to those defending religious beliefs.
- Plant-based and vegan advocates open themselves up to this association due to the same argument pattern.
- What is the plant-based/vegan movement?
- What is the anti-vaccination movement?
- Start with an understanding that individuals have good intentions.
- Promoted by celebrity and online marketing strategies designed to get clicks (Google).
- Why is a plant-based/vegan lifestyle and the anti-vaccination movement not comparable?
- It’s a matter of science
- Dr. Dean Ornish heart disease research vs. Autism Studies lacking evidence.
- It’s a matter of psychology
- **Some vegans fall into this too when promoting products.
- All or nothing thinking
- The clean vs unclean debate.
- Vegan purity junkies – “You must draw the line somewhere.”
- Confusing Causation with Correlation
- Symptoms on autism start so show around the same months as the MMR vaccination series. Correlation is seen as causation.
- Emotional Reasoning
- Sharing tragic stories of loss and linking with the most available explanation, vaccinations. People then tend to share the tragic story to back up their belief, thus discounting data, or the lack of it.
- The vegan movements own problem with all or nothing thinking sets itself up to be associated with the anti-vaccination movement.
