{"id":547,"date":"2023-10-02T00:09:27","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T00:09:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deprogramr.com\/?p=547"},"modified":"2023-10-03T21:13:31","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T21:13:31","slug":"emotion-and-disinformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/emotion-and-disinformation\/","title":{"rendered":"How Emotion Fuels the Spread of Disinformation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim\"><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-548\" alt=\"How Emotion Fuels the Spread of Disinformation\" src=\"https:\/\/deprogramr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2023\/10\/Emotion-and-Disinformation-1024x576.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2023\/10\/Emotion-and-Disinformation-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2023\/10\/Emotion-and-Disinformation-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2023\/10\/Emotion-and-Disinformation-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2023\/10\/Emotion-and-Disinformation-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2023\/10\/Emotion-and-Disinformation-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2023\/10\/Emotion-and-Disinformation-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2023\/10\/Emotion-and-Disinformation-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2023\/10\/Emotion-and-Disinformation-206x116.jpg 206w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\">How Emotion Fuels the Spread of Disinformation<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an era where disinformation and conspiracy theories spread rapidly online, it&#8217;s important to understand why we&#8217;re susceptible to manipulation. Emerging research suggests a connection between emotion and disinformation. When inflammatory, fear-based content triggers strong visceral reactions, it impairs critical thinking and makes us more likely to engage and share without proper verification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This article will analyze the psychology of how emotions enable disinformation. We&#8217;ll look at how anger and fear short-circuit reason, how social belonging biases make us defer to our &#8220;tribe&#8221;, and how &#8220;dopamine hijacking&#8221; pulls our attention toward the sensational. By revealing these emotional vulnerabilities, we can become more self-aware news consumers, policing our own biases and knee-jerk reactions. With care and courage, facts and compassion can prevail over misinformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"anger-short-circuits-reason-499-words-5-paragraphs\">Anger Short-Circuits Reason<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anger is a primal emotion that worked to rally our ancestors against threats. But online it often becomes misdirected against exaggerated or false causes. Here&#8217;s how anger-fueled emotion and disinformation spread:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Motivated Reasoning<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; When angry, we engage in &#8220;motivated reasoning,&#8221; latching onto any claims that justify our rage and dismissing inconvenient facts that don&#8217;t fit our narrative.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Loss of Objectivity<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Anger reduces abstract thinking and nuance in favor of black-and-white thinking. We overlook inconsistencies and context in stoking our outrage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>False Empowerment<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Anger creates a false sense of agency and righteousness. We feel compelled to &#8220;do something&#8221; like sharing posts without checking if it&#8217;s helpful or accurate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sowing Division<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Anger-fueled thinking casts the world in &#8220;us vs them&#8221; terms. We stop seeing opponents as fellow humans, making toxic polarization worse.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Addiction<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Because anger releases adrenaline and dopamine, becoming outraged can become addictive, leading us to constantly seek our next hit of rhetorical self-righteousness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By recognizing these tendencies, we can catch ourselves before falling into the anger disinformation trap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"fear-impairs-discernment-505-words-5-paragraphs\">Fear Impairs Discernment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fear is another primal emotion ripe for exploitation. Scary stories spread rapidly because fear impairs discernment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/deprogramr.com\/negativity-bias\/\">Negativity Bias<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; We pay more attention to negative than positive news which feels more urgent for survival. False alarms rarely get punished.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Loss Aversion<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; The pain of potential loss is greater than pleasure of gain. Exaggerated risks that provoke anxiety spread faster than realistic assessments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Oversimplification<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Fear drives us toward simplistic explanations and solutions even if inaccurate. Complexity gets undermined.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of Control<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Scary situations make us feel helpless. We latch onto false hopes rather than accept hard realities. Outlandish promises spread.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While preying on fears may work well to capture attention, it often leaves us misinformed and paralyzed from action. Being aware of this empowers discernment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"social-proof-bias-and-the-truth-498-words-5-paragraphs\"><a href=\"https:\/\/deprogramr.com\/social-proof-bias\/\">Social Proof Bias<\/a> and &#8220;The Truth&#8221;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We like to think we objectively analyze info to discern truth. But in reality our reasoning gets biased by the view of our &#8220;tribe&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Safety in Numbers<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Social proof provides evolutionary safety. When others in our group believe something, we assume it must be true and avoid questioning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Identity Protection<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Admitting we&#8217;re wrong bruises the ego and threatens social standing. So we rationalize or avoid facts that contradict our group&#8217;s views.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Illusion of &#8220;The Truth&#8221;<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Within a bubble, any belief can take on the aura of &#8220;truth&#8221; if it&#8217;s sufficiently repeated and unchallenged. Alternatives get dismissed rather than debated.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Herd Immunity to Facts<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Groups build &#8220;herd immunity&#8221; to disconfirming facts. Each repetition strengthens belief certainty despite contradicting evidence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Emotion Over Data<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Social groups bond over shared feelings, values and threats. Facts that undermine those unspoken emotional ties get ignored or unspoken.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By understanding this social programming, we can consciously override our default biases and think independently. Whoever controls &#8220;the tribe&#8221; controls truth, unless we dare to question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dopamine-fueled-virality-500-words-5-paragraphs\">Emotion and Disinformation: Dopamine-Fueled Virality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, let&#8217;s examine how our brains&#8217; own chemistry makes us prone to spread sensational content:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Novelty Bias<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Seeking novel stimuli is rewarded with dopamine, our &#8220;curiosity chemical&#8221;. Unusual and salacious stories provide bigger neurological rewards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Negativity Bias<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; Negative news releases more dopamine than positive news, steering us toward fear-based content.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/deprogramr.com\/confirmation-bias\/\">Confirmation Bias<\/a><\/strong> &#8211; We are far more susceptible and liable to return to stimuli that reinforces our preexisting beliefs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social Reward<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Our brains are wired to prioritize social acceptance. Controversial takes that get engagement offer bigger social status rewards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Variable Reward<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Dopamine surges for unpredictable rewards. Outrage and conspiracy thrive on baiting users with loose clues and randomly revealed layers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Addiction Loop<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Just like gambling, anticipating social feedback on provocative posts becomes addictive. The dopamine hit keeps people coming back.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While good for platform revenue, dopamine-seeking habits spread disinformation at society&#8217;s expense. Awareness of this empowers our higher values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"restoring-reason-300-words-5-paragraphs\">Emotion and Disinformation: Restoring Reason<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite our emotional vulnerabilities that enable disinformation, the truth remains discoverable with care and courage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Slow Down<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Pausing to let reactive emotions pass before analyzing information or deciding to share reduces missteps. Time brings perspective.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Triangulate<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Seeking multiple authoritative sources to verify claims before sharing guards against manipulation. Reconcile contradictions thoughtfully.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Suffer Fools<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Be willing to engage respectfully with those promoting questionable info to understand their concerns and offer better solutions or facts if possible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Debate Don&#8217;t Preach<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Avoid lecturing or mocking those misinformed, which just entrenches false beliefs. Ask sincere questions that prompt self-reflection instead of reactive defense.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mix It Up<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; Consciously follow media outlets outside our filter bubbles to train objectivity and adaptability. Make space for nuance and complexity in worldview.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With care and courage, truth and understanding can overcome our baser impulses. But it requires embracing wisdom over convenience. Progress requires patience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Further Reading<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7539247\/\"><strong>Reliance on emotion promotes belief in fake news<\/strong><\/a>,&#8221; National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a title=\"Cambridge University\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/politics-and-the-life-sciences\/article\/abs\/neurocognitive-hacking\/2B50FB1435F268BABEC0D742756C4F12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Neurocognitive hacking: A new capability in cyber conflict?<\/strong><\/a>,&#8221; Cambridge University Press, 16 April 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<!-- START Kaya QR Code Generator --><div class=\"wpkqcg_qrcode_wrapper\"><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"wpkqcg_qrcode_outputimg_616a66c0b05196066_ecclevel\" value=\"L\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"wpkqcg_qrcode_outputimg_616a66c0b05196066_size\" value=\"\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"wpkqcg_qrcode_outputimg_616a66c0b05196066_border\" value=\"4\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"wpkqcg_qrcode_outputimg_616a66c0b05196066_color\" value=\"#000000\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"wpkqcg_qrcode_outputimg_616a66c0b05196066_bgcolor\" value=\"#FFFFFF\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"wpkqcg_qrcode_outputimg_616a66c0b05196066_content\" value=\"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\" id=\"wpkqcg_qrcode_outputimg_616a66c0b05196066\" alt=\"QR Code\" class=\"wpkqcg_qrcode\" style=\"width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%;\" ><div style=\"clear: none;\"><\/div><\/div><!-- END Kaya QR Code Generator -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Explore emotional factors like anger, fear, and dopamine-seeking behavior that impair reasoning and enable disinformation to spread online.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":548,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2023\/10\/Emotion-and-Disinformation.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=547"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":601,"href":"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547\/revisions\/601"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keithratner.live\/deprogrammer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}