Clearing the Stage: Dr. Danny Flemming connects Art with Science

"I know my looks resemble those of a student intern, but I’ve actually been a psychologist at the Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien in Tübingen for a few years now,” Daniel Flemming jokingly says about his youthful appearance at the Göppingen Science Slam last week. The IWM researcher has already presented his research on “laypersons’ comprehension of novel scientific findings with a focus on fragility detection in recipients of popular science texts" throughout Germany in the guise of comedy.

In his presentations, he uses wit and sarcasm to elaborate why some people ignore or even reject scientific findings. "People often react to irritating statements with disbelief and ignorance; they prefer simple solutions," the scientist explains. His research at the IWM confirms this: Recipients become oblivious to fragility through simple, one-sided messages. Optimistic preconceptions result in less fragility being perceived, while pessimistic preconceptions cause people to perceive fragility more clearly.

One possible solution: “We need to do a better job at explaining to the public how science works and how we arrive at our scientific conclusions," Danny Flemming claims. As a science slammer, he sets a good and successful example among others, with his contribution at the 2019 "Slam for Future" in front of 1200 people at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg.