Science & Society

A few simple tricks make fake news stories stick in the brain

People are more likely to buy in if the misinformation is surprising, emotional or on repeat

collage of tweets and facebook posts with a big "X" over them

Purveyors of deceitful messaging use a few key tricks that take advantage of the brain’s desire to believe.

E. Otwell

By Laura Sanders

- More than 2 years ago

Bad information isn’t new. Propagandists and scam artists have been selling their brand of proverbial snake oil for ages, all to bend people’s thinking to their goals.