To begin with, humans are essentially conservative creatures. In this context there is a psychological term for a phenomenon known as cognitive dissonance which, put simply, states that we have a marked tendency to cling to old beliefs despite the fact that they are at odds with known facts. The reason for this is simply that the old beliefs are just that, old and familiar, and we are therefore fond of them; they are part of what makes us mentally comfortable. This leads to intellectual sluggishness: we are prepared to make greater efforts to preserve the status quo in our heads than to learn new things.

– Bard & Soderqvist, Netocracy