University of Kwazulu-Natal

Why Smart People Fall For False Information And What To Do About It

Bonisiwe Shabane
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why smart people fall for false information and what to do about it

Intelligence is no shield against deception. Every day, brilliant minds, scientists, executives, professors, and thought leaders, share false information, embrace conspiracy theories, or fall victim to sophisticated disinformation campaigns. The question isn’t whether smart people believe misinformation. They do. The real question is: why? We like to think that intelligence protects us from being fooled.

After all, smart people can analyze arguments, detect logical fallacies, and evaluate evidence more effectively than others. But research reveals a uncomfortable truth: higher intelligence can sometimes make us more vulnerable to misinformation, not less. The reason lies in a concept psychologists call “motivated reasoning.” When we’re intelligent, we’re better at constructing elaborate justifications for beliefs we already hold. We’re more skilled at finding evidence that supports our views and explaining away contradictory information. Intelligence gives us the tools to build more sophisticated rationalizations, not necessarily to find the truth. A 2012 study by Dan Kahan at Yale Law School found that people with higher scientific literacy and mathematical reasoning skills were actually more likely to interpret data in politically biased ways.

When presented with the same evidence, more intelligent participants twisted the information to fit their existing political beliefs more effectively than less educated participants. Intelligence, in this case, became a weapon for motivated reasoning rather than a tool for discovering truth. Our brains weren’t designed for the information environment we now inhabit. Evolution shaped our cognitive systems for survival in small tribes, not for navigating an ocean of digital information where truth and falsehood blend seamlessly together. Posted February 11, 2025 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan It's easy to look around at the stupid-seeming things that other people believe (e.g., people who join harmful cults, get scammed by a con artist, become vocal evangelists for a placebo treatment, or jump...

The answer, a lot of times, is simply the trust they have in someone else. In other words, maybe if you were to evaluate an idea yourself, you would see it as foolish, false, or dangerous. But, instead, if someone you trust tells you that the idea is the next big thing, or that it will change your life, make you rich, or solve a problem that you desperately want... You can either believe: What's more, there are a lot of factors that can impact how much we trust someone that don't always correlate with them actually being trustworthy, such as: In a post-truth world, this false belief researcher offers a simple three-step recipe for building trust and finding common ground.

Hint: It starts by recognizing you might be wrong. August 7, 2025 - By Laura López González - America has a misinformation problem. It’s in our news feeds, on our social media timelines, and at our kitchen tables. It’s driving wedges between friends and family — and sharp political divides. UC San Francisco Psychiatry Professor Joseph Pierre, MD, has spent decades working with patients with delusions and mental illness, while also writing about delusion-like beliefs held by otherwise healthy people. In his new book, False: How Mistrust, Disinformation, and Motivated Reasoning Make Us Believe Things that Aren’t True.

Pierre reveals how many of us are more susceptible than we think to false beliefs. We wanted to find out why — and ask the million-dollar question: What should you do when a loved one falls for misinformation? Featured Expert: Joseph Pierre, MD, UC San Francisco Psychiatry Professor, Studies why smart people believe false information, offering a 3M model and solutions for building trust and combating misinformation. Occasionally, you’ll see headlines like, “America is Suffering from Mass Delusion,” or likening some people to “cult members” based on political beliefs. Popular portrayals of those who believe misinformation often imply there’s something wrong with the individual: They’re mentally ill, they’re stupid, they’re “brainwashed.” Fake news is everywhere, from sensational headlines on social media to misleading articles that seem too good or too outrageous to be true.

And here’s the thing: It’s not just the uninformed or gullible who get fooled. Even smart, well-educated people fall for fake news all the time. But why? It turns out, we all have mental shortcuts, known as cognitive biases, that can make us accept false information without even realizing it. From confirmation bias to motivated reasoning, these traps shape how we read, share, and believe news. The real problem is that misinformation spreads faster than the truth.

According to a study by MIT Media Lab by Dr. Deb Roy​, Dr. Soroush Vosoughi, and Dr. Sinan Aral, false news spreads six times faster on Twitter than factual news. And once something false gains traction, it’s incredibly hard to undo the damage. This is particularly problematic because, as Munusamy point out, the widespread dissemination of fake news can influence public opinion, political decisions, and even mental health​.

The research also highlights that fake news thrives in environments where emotional reactions are prioritized over rational thought. When articles are designed to provoke outrage, excitement, or fear, they bypass our critical thinking skills, making us more likely to believe and share misinformation. “All of us can fall for misinformation,” Nadia Brashier told the Washington Post. “I’ve fallen for false stories myself even though this is what I study.” Brashier is an assistant professor of psychology in the School of Social Sciences. She joined UC San Diego in 2023 after earning her PhD from Duke University and completing a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard.

Brashier explores how people come to believe things that are untrue, including superstitions, conspiracy theories and of course, fake news. When we’re online, Brashier says, we often pay attention to the most eye-catching content, regardless of whether it is actually true. Redirecting our attention towards accuracy can help protect us from misinformation. Brashier sat down with UC San Diego Today to discuss why we believe fake news and what – in this era of artificial intelligence and political polarization – we can do about it. When we scroll through our feeds on social media, we are not always thinking about truth. Even when we do explicitly evaluate veracity, we often go with our guts.

UCSF’s Joseph Pierre, MD, unveils why even bright minds embrace false information. His new book, "False," dissects cognitive biases and our digital world’s role, offering a powerful three-step approach to navigate the post-truth era and rediscover common ground. In a post-truth world, this false belief researcher offers a simple three-step recipe for building trust and finding common ground. Hint: It starts by recognizing you might be wrong. This book explores how mistrust and disinformation shape our beliefs, revealing the psychological mechanisms behind false convictions in today's society. An illuminating exploration of the psychology of false …

As a psychiatrist, I’ve spent my career working with patients who have delusions—that is, false beliefs held with unassailable conviction like believing that one is the Second Coming of Christ or that the FBI...

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