Illusory Truth Effect — Repetition makes lies feel true
You’ve heard it before, so it feels right. That’s the Illusory Truth Effect.
Disinfo thrives on repetition — not accuracy. Let’s break down how this cognitive glitch tricks your brain. 🧵
You’ve heard it before, so it feels right. That’s the Illusory Truth Effect.
Disinfo thrives on repetition — not accuracy. Let’s break down how this cognitive glitch tricks your brain. 🧵
Comments
🔸 Repeat a claim enough times
🔸 Familiarity makes it feel correct
🔸 The brain confuses "I’ve heard this" with "I’ve checked this"
→ Repetition = credibility shortcut
🔸 "The election was stolen" repeated daily
🔸 No evidence needed
🔸 The claim becomes cultural truth in some circles
→ Familiarity over facts
🔸 "Vaccines cause autism"
🔸 Debunked, but repeated for decades
🔸 People still believe it because they’ve heard it so often
→ The myth outlives the correction
🔸 Familiarity reduces cognitive load
🔸 Novel claims need effort to verify
🔸 Repeated claims feel effortless and safe
→ Your brain trusts what it recognizes
🔸 Bots flood feeds with repeated phrases
🔸 Influencers echo the same slogans
🔸 Opposing facts get drowned out
→ Volume beats accuracy
🔸 Claims repeated without new evidence
🔸 Buzzwords and slogans, not arguments
🔸 “Everyone’s saying it” rhetoric
→ Loud doesn’t mean true