Wired for Deception: How Our Brains Evolved to Fall for Misinformation

Our political landscape is more polarized than ever, with social media amplifying echo chambers that reinforce existing beliefs and limit exposure to diverse perspectives.

Misinformation doesn’t spread because people lack intelligence—it spreads because our brains evolved to prioritize efficiency over accuracy when processing information.

By recognizing our biases and emotional triggers, can we train ourselves to think more critically?

The Brain's Reality Filter

Our brain doesn’t passively receive information—it actively predicts what we’ll see, hear, and believe. This process, called Hierarchical Predictive Processing (HPP), allows us to minimize prediction errors by relying on pre-existing mental models. When new information arrives, our brain compares it to what we already "know" and filters out inconsistencies to maintain equilibrium. Therefore, our Brains have evolved to always maintain a state of inner balance, rather than assessing what is true or not.

• The Efficiency Trap: Instead of constantly updating our worldview, the brain takes shortcuts. This means information that aligns with our beliefs is processed faster and feels more "true", while contradictory information triggers resistance.
• Cognitive Dissonance: When confronted with facts that contradict our deeply held beliefs, we experience stress—our amygdala (emotion processing centre) activates, and stress hormones (cortisol, norepinephrine) impair prefrontal cortex function, making it harder to think critically.
• Overfitting & Underfitting: Like in machine learning, our brain can either focus too much on irrelevant details (overfitting) or fail to develop a nuanced understanding (underfitting). This is why simplified narratives (e.g., conspiracy theories, black-and-white thinking) often feel more compelling.

When we encounter fake news, it doesn't happen in isolation. Our brain compares this new information against hundreds or thousands of existing models, beliefs, and ideas we hold about the topic. Due to these cognitive mechanisms, our brain typically tries to make the new information fit into our existing narrative rather than critically questioning whether our narrative itself is accurate. We fall back to what is familiar — and that is not always the same as truth.

The Emotional Brain & Social Influence

When faced with challenging information, our brain's emotional and rational systems engage in a complex interplay. The amygdala—our emotion processing centre—becomes highly active and triggers stress hormones like cortisol and norepinephrine. Why? Our equilibrium is at stake. Our brain responds like it is attacked.

The release of hormones impairs our prefrontal cortex, the region responsible for critical thinking, making us more susceptible to misinformation. Under stress, we default to what is familiar and take mental shortcuts. We lose so-called cognitive flexibility and jump to conclusions by filling the gaps with what is familiar to us. This pattern applies not only to misinformation, but also to core beliefs, limiting beliefs, misconceptions, racism, and other deeply held beliefs.

And let's not forget the social component, which is particularly fascinating: fMRI studies reveal that social rejection activates the same neural pathways as physical pain. This explains why we're more likely to accept false information from our in-group—questioning these beliefs and facing rejection is processed by our brain as pain. The anterior cingulate cortex, which processes social feedback and promotes conformity, plays a key role in social proof—the tendency to adopt beliefs or behaviours based on their acceptance by others. This tendency is heightened by our brain's preference for remembering emotionally charged, negative information—making us particularly vulnerable to fear-based misinformation on social networks. These platforms are designed for such emotional engagement and often sacrifice nuance for brevity. I have written about this extensively.

Take Home Points

Being aware of these mechanisms is practising metacognition—understanding how your thoughts are shaped by neurobiological, psychological, and social programming. This ability to step back and examine why you react to information in certain ways is a powerful tool for recognizing misinformation.

• Cognitive Reappraisal – Recognize when an emotional reaction is clouding judgment and reframe the situation.
• Awareness of Confirmation Bias – Ask: “Would I believe this if it came from a different source?”
• Slow Down – Misinformation thrives on impulsivity. Engage deliberate reasoning instead of emotional gut reactions.
• Practice Cognitive Flexibility – Train yourself to embrace nuance. Ask: “When was the last time I changed my opinion based on new evidence?”
• Digital Minimalism – Reduce exposure to attention-driven algorithms that prioritize engagement over truth.

?? Your brain isn't designed for truth—it's designed for stability. Understanding this is the first step to building resilience against misinformation.– @faissalsharif

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Remember, awareness of these neurobiological processes is our best defence against misinformation. By understanding how our brains work at both the neural and cognitive levels, we can develop more sophisticated strategies for information processing and decision-making.

To learn more about this topic, check out my recent guest appearance on the "Intelligence Spotlight Series" podcast with Qais Alamdar, available on Spotify and YouTube: