[NOTE: This episode was originally published under our sister-podcast, Weekly Grooves. In our effort to share relevant behavioral science information, we are republishing it here. We hope you enjoy it.]
Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Noah Weiland of The New York Times wrote an article titled, “Study Finds ‘Single Largest Driver’ of Coronavirus Misinformation: Trump.” The article is based on research from the Cornell Alliance for Science that analyzed over 38 million articles around the world on the pandemic. They found that “Mentions of Trump made up nearly 38% of the overall “misinformation conversation,” making the president the largest driver of the “infodemic.”
Of the 38 million articles on the pandemic, 1.1 million of them “disseminated, amplified or reported on misinformation related to the pandemic.” The study found 11 topics of misinformation that were prevalent in these articles – ranging from the pandemic being a hoax facilitated by the Democrats to the virus being a deep state or bioweapon of China to the most common one – miracle cures.
Kurt and Tim decided to break down the discussion into three parts: 1.) The psychology of misinformation. 2.) The messenger effect and 3.) The psychology behind why Donald Trump might be doing this.
© 2020 Weekly Grooves / © 2020 Behavioral Grooves
Links
“Study Finds 'Single Largest Driver' of Coronavirus Misinformation: Trump”: https://news.yahoo.com/study-finds-single-largest-driver-120309389.html
CORONAVIRUS MISINFORMATION: Quantifying sources and themes in the COVID-19 ‘infodemic’: https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Evanega-et-al-Coronavirus-misinformationFINAL.pdf
What drove the COVID misinformation ‘infodemic’: https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2020/10/what-drove-the-covid-misinformation-infodemic/
“Messengers: Who We Listen To, Who We Don’t, and Why”: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/43522604
The Surprising Benefits of Talking to Strangers | Nick Epley [Republish]
Ask the Right Question, Get the Best Answer | Jeff Wetzler
Break Autopilot with Intentional Living | Norman Farb and Zindel Segal
The Secret Power of Rituals | Michael Norton
The Science of Influence: Nudges in Action | Silvia Saccardo
Unlock Workplace Happiness | Gonzalo Camiña Ceballos
Tuned In or Tuned Out? | Nuala Walsh
The Burnout Breakthrough | Kandi Wiens
Turning Anxiety into Assurance | Dr. Julia DiGangi
Grooving on: Starting a Movement
Grooving on: Side Projects
...Ridiculous Ep. 5: The Future
...Ridiculous Ep. 4: Behavioral Economics Goes Mainstream
...Ridiculous Ep. 3: Children of Unlikely Parents
...Ridiculous Ep. 2: Importing Psychology
...Ridiculous Ep. 1: Beyond Anomalies
Make Great Decisions | Elspeth Kirkman
Trailer: They Thought We Were Ridiculous
Unlocking Intimacy: The Power of Questions | Topaz Adizes
The Key to Boosting Retirement Savings | John Beshears
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Poetry of Science
Hidden Brain
Choiceology with Katy Milkman
The Science of Happiness
Therapist Uncensored Podcast