Human nature is such that we believe what we want to believe. We’re credulous, when we should be incredulous. Gullible, when we should be wary. Psychologists call this confirmation bias. We don’t want to have our psychological apple cart upset, so we accept the veracity of things that are blatantly inaccurate.
Let’s face it. Earl is bald. But he’s paid for the DNA test and he wants to believe it. Like all of us, Earl hopes to avoid post-purchase dissonance. He doesn’t want to feel like he’s been had. Never mind that he paid for something that hasn’t been useful. Information overload is much like stuff overload. More isn’t better. It’s overwhelming. And being overwhelmed (no matter the cause) wreaks havoc, making clear thinking and rational responses as scarce as the hairs on Earl’s pate.
With apologies to Watson and Crick, in this case, DNA stands for Damn, No-good Assessment.