The answer may lie in how our brains function. The human brain is a fascinatingly complex information storage system. It's not like a computer, encoding information precisely as bits that can then be retrieved exactly as they were stored. Rather, it forms fuzzy "networks" of neurons that contain not only pieces of information, but also the emotional context associated with that information.
For example, if I say to you the word "bear," or show you a picture of a bear:
...neurons containing information about bears are going to fire. But they also contain links to other information that will begin firing as well: forest, hunting, Yellowstone, picnic, grizzly, panda, dangerous. I'm not sure what your feelings on bears are, but when you think about bears, you retrieve an entire network of information and emotions. And the more time you spend thinking about bears, the more you read about bears, the more you learn about bears, the stronger this network will become.
Now if I say to you "Obama" or "Mitt Romney," a very different set of information and emotions comes up, depending on your feelings toward these two figures. You also likely visualize the colors blue and red, respectively.
These information networks are not abstract or ethereal. They make up a physical part of your brain. They exist physically, just as surely as your arm or your leg.
As you gain new information, your mind will store it and link it to existing networks. The most efficient storage mechanism is to seek out or interpret information in such a way that it will conform with preexisting structures and can simply reinforce them. It's easier to add to existing information than to tear down all of the existing networks (which would require dramatic physical changes within your brain) and try to replace them in light of new information. This is called confirmation bias, and it's very powerful.
Similarly, when we encounter information that is detrimental to our existing belief systems, the mind's natural response is to pit its existing neural structures against that information to discredit it. The more scary or dangerous a piece of information seems, and the stronger the underlying mental networks that disagree with it, the more mental effort one will exert to stop it from changing their mind. This phenomenon is known as disconfirmation bias.
When our mind holds conflicting information, it means that networks have sections of overlapping nodes but may have attached different significance to them. The brain will seek to interpret the information in a non-threatening way that resolves the conflict to a consistent state while preserving as much information and existing structure as possible. This condition can cause stress and anxiety until it is resolved and is known as cognitive dissonance. It can lead to justification of information that we believe in strongly but which conflict with each other.
Think of it as analogous to your immune system. Your mind is using psychological mechanisms to protect your existing beliefs, which actually form a physical part of your body, stored and networked within your brain.
When we hear an idea that conflicts with our beliefs, our brain's natural response is to try to discredit that idea, regardless of whether the idea is right or wrong. Understanding this may be helpful in overcoming it and being able to have rational discussions and even change one's own mind due to a compelling argument.
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