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094 - The Backfire Effect - Part Two

You Are Not So Smart

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The Backfire Effect in Political Misinformation

In 2006, political scientists created fake newspaper articles about polarizing issues. People who were supportive of the Iraq war didn't just discount it; they doubled down on their original beliefs. Nihan and Raifler coined a new term in psychology, the backfire effect. When you're confronted with something that you don't want to be true, you engage in effortful processing of information to argue against it.

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