The Illusory Truth Effect

The more something is repeated, the more true it feels. And social media is an information repeating machine.

Amid a flurry of research into the dangers posed by misinformation on social media, a new study confirms that the repetition of misinformation both leads us to believe things are true that are untrue, but also mutes our moral judgments.

The illusory truth effect

Our decisions can only be as good as the accuracy of our beliefs. We may intend to rationally evaluate evidence to determine what’s true and what’s not, but, in reality, we use a lot of short cuts. One of those shorts cuts is how often we have heard or read something.

The more something is repeated, the more true it feels. This is known as the illusory truth effect.