Why do people hold misbeliefs? with Dan Ariely

Why do people sometimes buy into ideas that seem obviously false from the outside, as with conspiracy theories? Is this kind of misbelief a universal feature of human brains? Does it offer clarity and belonging when reality feels chaotic and threatening? What would it take for you (under the right emotional conditions) to begin believing something that your past self would find unbelievable? Today we’ll speak with behavioral economist Dan Ariely, who has thought a lot about misbelief: for him it’s a scientific question, but also an interest that started very personally.

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More Information:

Ariely D. Misbelief: What makes rational people believe irrational things. Heligo Books; 2023 Sep 19.

Ariely D. Predictably irrational: the hidden forces that shape our decisions. Ebook, Revised and. 1998.

Inner Cosmos Episode 66 “Why do brains love conspiracy theories?”

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