The Comfort of Our False Beliefs: Why We Crave Misinformation

In a world drowning in misinformation, we keep pointing fingers at those who create and spread false narratives. But what if the real story isn’t about them — it’s about us?In this recentWhoWhatWhy podcast I talk with professor Dannagal Goldthwaite Young, author of Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive Our Appetite for Misinformation, we discover a surprising truth: Humans are naturally drawn to misinformation.It’s not just about believing what we want to believe — it’s about satisfying our fundamental needs for what Young calls “comprehension, control, and community,” even if that means embracing falsehoods.Thanks for listening to the Talk Cocktail Podcast! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Talk Cocktail Podcast at jeffschechtman.substack.com/subscribe