Researchers think they know why people fall for fake news and lies

By Joe Morgan via SWNS

People buy into fake news because they want to believe it is true - even if they know it's inaccurate, according to a new study.

Lies that also may sound like they could one day become reality are also more forgivable with the public, say scientists.

Politicians making controversial statements, businesses stretching the truth in advertisements or job seekers lying about their skills in a resume are all possible lies that people may believe.

British researchers have found people who consider how a lie might become true think it is less unethical to tell because they judge the lie's broader message, or the gist, as true enough.

In six experiments, involving more than 3,600 people, researchers showed a variety of false statements and asked about the ethics of each of them.

For example, they were to say if a friend lied on their resume, listing a skill despite having no experience but they intended to develop that skill, the participants found that to be "less unethical".

A group of 599 American participants was given six markedly false political statements such as 'Millions of people voted illegally in the last presidential election” and, “The average top CEO makes 500 times more than the average worker.”

While each statement was clearly labeled as false, participants were more likely to rank a statement as unethical if they were more likely to believe the broader meaning if it fit with their political views.

Importantly, participants knew these statements were false, yet imagining how they might become true made people find them more excusable.

The researchers also found that participants were more inclined to share misinformation on social media when they imagined how it might become true, but only if it aligned with their political views.

Beth Anne Helgason, a doctoral student at the London Business School, said: “The rise in misinformation is a pressing societal problem, stoking political polarization and eroding trust in business and politics.

"Misinformation in part persists because some people believe it. But that’s only part of the story.

“Misinformation also persists because sometimes people know it is false but are still willing to excuse it.

“Our findings reveal how our capacity for imagination affects political disagreement and our willingness to excuse misinformation.

“Unlike claims about what is true, propositions about what might become true are impossible to fact-check.

"Thus, partisans who are certain that a lie will become true eventually may be difficult to convince otherwise.”

Professor Daniel Effron, also at the London Business School, said: “Our findings are concerning, particularly given that we find that encouraging people to think carefully about the ethicality of statements was insufficient to reduce the effects of imagining a future where it might be true.

“This highlights the negative consequences of giving airtime to leaders in business and politics who spout falsehoods.”

The research was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.