Psychological antigens can induce mental resistance to fake news

Evidence

In an era increasingly filled with half-truths, fake news and misinformation, I am not here to tell you what to believe. Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, perhaps you can think of this book as a humble servant in your own search for truth. Andy Norman, a philosopher at Carnegie Mellon University, refers to me as a ‘cognitive immunologist’. I quite like this description of my field of research: I study mental defences of the mind. I want to provide you with a guide to how your brain grapples with the onslaught of fact and fiction, a toolbox to help sniff out attempts to influence your opinion amidst the ‘dark arts of manipulation’. A vaccine, if you will, against misinformation. Just as antigens produce an immune response in the body, psychological antigens can help build resistance to fake news. I offer eleven such antigens in this book to help boost our immunity. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 21

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces the book’s central metaphor — cognitive immunology / psychological antigens.
• XREF: connects to: Exposure to weakened misinformation builds psychological immunity against it — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 24; Psychological inoculation can build societal resistance to misinformation — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 20; Pre-exposing people to weakened persuasive attacks cultivates mental resistance against later misinformation. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 633 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Exposure to weakened misinformation builds psychological immunity against it #corroborates (0.95) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 24
• Psychological inoculation can build societal resistance to misinformation #corroborates (0.95) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 20
• Pre-exposing people to weakened persuasive attacks cultivates mental resistance against later misinformation. #expands (0.92) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 633
• Inoculation can spread socially like herd immunity against misinformation #expands (0.85) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 989
• Sustained misinformation immunity requires periodic booster reminders #qualifies (0.82) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 814