Foolproof: How to Build Resistance to Misinformation

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Dec 18, 2025

In this discussion, Sander van der Linden, a social psychology professor at the University of Cambridge, delves into misinformation and how to counter it. He shares his unexpected journey from banking to academia, driven by early experiences with deception. Sander explains the concept of psychological inoculation—training individuals to identify misinformation before it's encountered—and the innovative Bad News game designed to enhance awareness. He also explores the economics behind fake social media accounts and emphasizes the need for media literacy and platform reforms while expressing cautious optimism about bipartisan efforts to combat misinformation.

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ANECDOTE

From Banking To Research

Sander left a nine-to-five banking job and used an accidental tax refund to fund a master's in human development.
That degree sparked his interest in experiments on social dilemmas and behavioral research.

ANECDOTE

Tricked By A Friend Sparks Research

A college friend repeatedly tricked Sander with false headlines, which spurred his curiosity about influence.
The experience led him to experiment with how easily people accept and spread misinformation.

INSIGHT

How Psychological Inoculation Works

Inoculation delivers a weakened dose of misinformation and then refutes it to build cognitive resistance.
The approach trains people to recognize manipulation techniques before exposure.

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In this episode of Misguided: The Podcast, I’m joined by Sander van der Linden, who is a professor of social psychology at the University of Cambridge and one of the leading researchers studying misinformation, propaganda, and how people can build resistance to manipulation. If you’re familiar with the idea of “prebunking,” or psychological inoculation (training people to recognize misinformation before they encounter it), much of that work traces back to Sander’s research.

We begin by talking about his non-traditional path into psychology, from leaving a banking job to discovering research as a career, and how early experiences with being misled sparked a deeper interest in influence and propaganda. From there, we dig into what psychological inoculation actually is, why simply giving people facts often isn’t enough, and how tools like the Bad News game help people recognize manipulation techniques across political and cultural contexts.

We then zoom out to the broader information ecosystem, including the economics of fake social media accounts and how cheap it has become to spread inauthentic activity at scale, especially in an age of AI. Finally, we discuss what effective responses might look like, from education and platform responsibility to why Sander remains cautiously optimistic despite the very real challenges ahead.

You can listen to the full episode here or the links below. As always, if you find it useful, feel free to share it with someone who might benefit from the conversation.

Follow Sander on Bluesky or LinkedIn

Sander’s Book: Foolproof: Why We Fall for Misinformation and How to Build Immunity

Sander’s website.

Cambridge Online Trust and Safety Index

Keywords: Sander van der Linden, prebunking, media literacy, AI, fake accounts, foolproof, psychological inoculation, social media, psychology

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