If I asked you, “What is normal human body temperature?”, what would be your answer? Most people (and maybe even some health professionals) would say 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (or 37 degrees Celsius). You may have solidly believed this your whole life. However, this data point is based on one, single, now highly disputed study performed by a German physician, Dr. Wunderlich, in the mid-1800s, taking axillary (armpit) temps with a questionable thermometer (1,2,3). In psychology, they refer to this asthe “illusory truth effect” or if something “is repeated enough times, the information may be perceived to be true even if sources are not credible.”(4).
展开▼
