


According to a study by the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, making facts more difficult to read can severly undercut personal biases. In the study, Individuals with known biases were presented arguments for or against the death penalty. Those who got the easier version came out all the more polarized in their opinions. Those with the hard-to-read text were more metered.


While it's certainly a pain to run across a difficult font, whether it be one that's miscolored and low on contrast, or just an ugly one, it seems that forcing people to actually exert effort into reading things also forces them to give it some actual thought. The downside of course, is that that's also sort of a pain in the ass. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go write a contentious essay on iPhone vs. Android in light grey Zapfino. [Science Daily]