[The psychology of propaganda: why smart people sometimes believe crazy things

Have you ever met someone with a particular political belief, conspiracy theory, or affiliation with a public movement and wondered: “How can you (or anyone, for that matter) possibly believe that?” Yet time and again, we see people come to support ideas, leaders, and actions we find shocking or incomprehensible. In this talk, we will explore why this happens. We will examine the psychological mechanisms that make propaganda effective, the cognitive shortcuts and biases it exploits, and how seemingly contradictory ideas can coexist in the same mind. While we may not have all the answers, understanding these mechanisms may be one of the most important tools we have for resisting propaganda and extremism.

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