Cultivating New Ways to Trust Science Amid the Rise of Questionable Health Practices

Questionable health behaviors, such as intentional non-adherence to medical recommendations and the use of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine pose a global threat to public health. These behaviors do not reflect a mere dismissal of scientific authority, but rather a specific reconfiguration of epistemic trust, where selective scepticism is applied, marked by exaggerated doubt towards evidence-based authority and simultaneous uncritical acceptance of pseudoscientific claims. We review key psychological drivers of these behaviors - i.e. irrational beliefs - and different ways they interact with science. We then examine communication strategies that divert trust from unreliable sources and encourage trust in reliable ones. Understanding and reshaping the way dialogue and trust is cultivated is essential in countering the rise of questionable health practices.