“This is one of my favorite phenomena because it underscores a basic human emotion: being 100% confident that something is not true, yet simultaneously unable to escape the feeling that is can’t be completely untrue. Fan death is such a beautiful illustration of this phenomenon, because unlike other popularly cited examples of this phenomenon (aliens, adherence to a specific religion, even ghosts) – it doesn’t really come with any agenda. It’s so specific and easily refutable beyond any doubt that it truly underscores in absolute isolation: cultural mythos is so powerful that it can make people believe things they know to be untrue without even offering them anything in return.”
