Even when we know better, our brains often rely on inaccurate or misleading information to make future decisions. But why are we so easily influenced by false statements such as “vaccinations cause autism” or “30 million illegal immigrants live in the U.S.?” People quickly download the inaccurate statements into memory because it’s easier than critically evaluating and analyzing what they’ve heard. Later, the brain pulls up the incorrect information first because it’s less work to retrieve recently presented material. If it’s available, people tend to think they can rely on it. But just because you can remember what someone said, doesn’t make it true. It’s even harder to avoid relying … Continue reading David Rapp