From: Bustle
Why Do We Believe Fake News? Accepting Inaccurate Information Is Less Work Than Being Critical, According To Research
Bustle:
Some have attributed the election results in part to the ease with which inaccurate, hyperpartisan information circulates on social media, prompting questions about why fake news is believed even when the information is clearly false or satirical — and indeed, our tendency to believe inaccurate information warrants examination, which is exactly what a recent research study has done. Because whether or not fake news actually swayed the election, the internet has made spreading misinformation easier than ever — that much is clear.
…
The answer, it turns out, has less to do with deliberate ignorance and more to do with the way the brain works. In a review published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, Northwestern University professor David Rapp explains why people believe inaccurate information despite knowing better. It comes down to how memories are formed.
Read the whole story: Bustle
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