According to a recent study by Harvard

Every time I hear someone start a conversation with “they did a study at Harvard,” or “according to a study done by Harvard,” I switch off and swipe.I am certainly not buying the pre-packaged certainty. 

I already know that what will follow will be dressed in the borrowed authority of an institution rather than the strength of the idea itself.

And most certainly the person claiming this citation hasn’t read ANY study from anywhere, let alone Harvard.

Of course, this is not necessarily about Harvard itself, it could be any university. 

The way its name is summoned like a spell, the way it is used to pre-empt doubt. 

A testimony to the brand power of Harvard.

It is about license, the license to state something banal, shallow, or speculative without the burden of defending it. 

A branded stamp of legitimacy for ideas that may not be legitimate at all.

In these moments, the conversation becomes less about inquiry and more about performance. 

The speaker isn’t interested in whether the listener understands the methodology, or whether the findings hold water. 

The point is to say: I’ve brought the biggest name to the table. Therefore, you have to believe anything I say from this moment forward.

There is something deeply cultural in this. The invocation of authority now often replaces the pursuit of understanding. 

It is as if there is an understanding or agreement that citing Harvard shortens the conversation. 

It bypasses the messy work of interpretation, uncertainty, or disagreement.

We are living in a moment of intellectual exhaustion. 

The world moves fast, knowledge is endless, and certainty is scarce. 

A phrase like “they did a study at Harvard” offers momentary relief. 

It feels like closure. 

It gives the speaker the comfort of confidence and the listener the illusion of agreement.

But I am not having it.

I am a facts and figures kinda guy.