This review of a book intended to improve communications skills of scientists left me less convinced that scientists need to improve their communications skills and more convinced that more people should simply improve their critical thinking skills.

I’ll never forget the day when I argued for protecting parents against misleading and false information about the treatment of autism. I was working at a large consumer health organization whose mission was to “empower patients with accurate information” so that they could take control of their health. My opposition was himself a physician who requested that our organization publish an article that advised parents of children with autism to seek out DAN! practitioners and chelation therapy.

I prepared my remarks with the utmost care and delivered them to a committee of our lay executives. I cited examples of children who had died during chelation treatments, explained exactly why there was no evidence that chelation therapy could improve the symptoms of autism and in fact was based on the false premise that “heavy metals” in vaccines were implicated in the etiology of the disease. I concluded that it would be irresponsible for the company to publish such misleading advice/information for parents, and would in fact be counter to our entire mission.

My physician opponent suggested that it was our company’s duty to inform parents of all their options, that we should not be judgmental about treatments, and that I was part of a paternalistic medical establishment that tried to silence creative thinking.

The committee ended up siding with my opponent. I was flabbergasted and asked one of the committee members what on earth they were thinking. She simply shrugged and said that my opponent was more likable than I was.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think it’s a bad thing for scientists to improve their communications skills. I don’t think it’s a bad thing for anyone to improve their communications skills. They have to be practiced just like any other skill. But on the other hand, it’s really hard to sympathize with someone who makes a decision about how to manage their children’s health based on which person is more “likable” as opposed to the facts.