Trending...
- Charmaine Thompson Turns Pain Into Purpose Through Woman of Power Charmcare
- Logistics Expert Asks A Question Biology Has Overlooked: How Evolution Assembles Coordinated Novelty
- GGILabs Expands Local SEO Services to Help Businesses Compete in AI-Driven Search
A Pittsburgh-based research institute, CIRCE, has published a peer-reviewed study showing that human minds have quirky information "immune systems."
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A potentially groundbreaking study may explain why people vary so greatly in their vulnerability to fake news, conspiracy theories, and radicalization.
A paper in the American Psychological Association's Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology advances a novel scientific theory about the human mind: that it has an evolved information "immune system" that can be made to function well or poorly.
Mental Immune Systems Theory, or MIST, posits cognitive defenses that function to screen out disruptive information, though sometimes in counterproductive ways. The theory offers explanations of several striking features of human psychology, among them our susceptibility to identity-protective cognition, confirmation bias, and hyper-partisan reasoning.
The article builds on decades of research showing that minds can be inoculated against later-arriving information, just as our bodies can be inoculated against later-arriving pathogens.
According to the theory, natural selection built antibody-generating defenses for the mind, just as it did for the body, and doubts are quite literally the antibodies of the mind. And just as exposure can help our bodies develop broad-spectrum immunity to problematic germs, exposure can help our minds develop broad-spectrum immunity to certain types of problematic misinformation: conspiracy theories, say, or propaganda.
More on The PennZone
Titled "Do Minds Have Immune Systems?," the paper answers its titular question with a qualified "Very probably, yes." The paper was co-authored by Andy Norman, author of Mental Immunity, Sander van der Linden, author of Foolproof and professor of psychology at Cambridge University, and Luke Johnson, the Operations Director for CIRCE. CIRCE, founded by Norman, is a think-tank dedicated to advancing and applying the science of immunity to misinformation.1
"We make the case that the mind likely has an immune system of its own," said van der Linden. "We also lay out a research agenda for verifying this theory empirically. Such work could have major implications for a world awash in misinformation," he added.
The theory builds on research initiated in the 1960s by William McGuire, an American social psychologist. McGuire showed that minds can be made resistant to untruths and information manipulation via strategic, pre-emptive "prebunking." For example, you can inoculate people against emotional manipulation by exposing them to harmless examples and discussing how they work.
McGuire's "inoculation theory" inspired hundreds of studies documenting the inoculability of the human mind. Van der Linden leads a new generation of inoculation theorists applying these findings to our world's mis- and disinformation problems.2
"The significance of our finding becomes clearer in historical context," said Norman. "Naming the body's immune system created a foundation for immunology, and this led to great advances in disease prevention. We think that naming the mind's immune system will lead to comparable advances – and help prevent harmful infodemics."3
More on The PennZone
"Imagine a world where we've puzzled out how the most capable minds filter out misinformation," continued Norman; "A world where preemptive exposure to troublesome ideas prevents the worst outbreaks of cognitive contagion. What if we could inoculate future generations against extremism, hate, and violence?"
"The idea of having a mental immune system ought to be empowering," added Johnson. "Developing this field of research could lead to major improvements in science education and prevent the spread of maladaptive thinking patterns."
"The paper puts the science of mental immunity on a solid conceptual and empirical foundation," said Norman. "Cognitive immunology is off and running."
Contact:
Andy Norman
412-759-8414
[email protected]
SOURCE CIRCE
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A potentially groundbreaking study may explain why people vary so greatly in their vulnerability to fake news, conspiracy theories, and radicalization.
A paper in the American Psychological Association's Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology advances a novel scientific theory about the human mind: that it has an evolved information "immune system" that can be made to function well or poorly.
Mental Immune Systems Theory, or MIST, posits cognitive defenses that function to screen out disruptive information, though sometimes in counterproductive ways. The theory offers explanations of several striking features of human psychology, among them our susceptibility to identity-protective cognition, confirmation bias, and hyper-partisan reasoning.
The article builds on decades of research showing that minds can be inoculated against later-arriving information, just as our bodies can be inoculated against later-arriving pathogens.
According to the theory, natural selection built antibody-generating defenses for the mind, just as it did for the body, and doubts are quite literally the antibodies of the mind. And just as exposure can help our bodies develop broad-spectrum immunity to problematic germs, exposure can help our minds develop broad-spectrum immunity to certain types of problematic misinformation: conspiracy theories, say, or propaganda.
More on The PennZone
- LCC Asia Pacific Sponsors CubeSatPlus 2026 at UNSW Sydney
- Kellyn Endorses National Push to Expand Food is Medicine
- LATO AI Automates Customer Communication to Help CSide Sports Academy and BAT 24 Nation Grow
- Real Estate Syndication Attorney Tilden Moschetti Releases The Real Estate Private Equity Blueprint
- 5X Gross Margin Improvement to Beat EPS Consensus; $54.6 Million 10-Year Contract Award Puts Cybersecurity Leader on Path to a $30 Million Run Rate
Titled "Do Minds Have Immune Systems?," the paper answers its titular question with a qualified "Very probably, yes." The paper was co-authored by Andy Norman, author of Mental Immunity, Sander van der Linden, author of Foolproof and professor of psychology at Cambridge University, and Luke Johnson, the Operations Director for CIRCE. CIRCE, founded by Norman, is a think-tank dedicated to advancing and applying the science of immunity to misinformation.1
"We make the case that the mind likely has an immune system of its own," said van der Linden. "We also lay out a research agenda for verifying this theory empirically. Such work could have major implications for a world awash in misinformation," he added.
The theory builds on research initiated in the 1960s by William McGuire, an American social psychologist. McGuire showed that minds can be made resistant to untruths and information manipulation via strategic, pre-emptive "prebunking." For example, you can inoculate people against emotional manipulation by exposing them to harmless examples and discussing how they work.
McGuire's "inoculation theory" inspired hundreds of studies documenting the inoculability of the human mind. Van der Linden leads a new generation of inoculation theorists applying these findings to our world's mis- and disinformation problems.2
"The significance of our finding becomes clearer in historical context," said Norman. "Naming the body's immune system created a foundation for immunology, and this led to great advances in disease prevention. We think that naming the mind's immune system will lead to comparable advances – and help prevent harmful infodemics."3
More on The PennZone
- Tina Hasselbusch, Turnstone Creative Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Named to LVB 300
- Pittsburgh Family Law Attorneys at Pollock Begg Earn Top Honors in 2027 Best Lawyers Guide
- Independent Colbert Packaging Thrives Amid Industrywide Consolidation
- Free Commercial Glass Estimating and Code Compliance Tools Launched by Landmark Construction - The Leading Glass Company in Los Angeles
- Tallahassee Million-Dollar Home Sales Rise in 2026 as Median Selling Time More Than Doubles
"Imagine a world where we've puzzled out how the most capable minds filter out misinformation," continued Norman; "A world where preemptive exposure to troublesome ideas prevents the worst outbreaks of cognitive contagion. What if we could inoculate future generations against extremism, hate, and violence?"
"The idea of having a mental immune system ought to be empowering," added Johnson. "Developing this field of research could lead to major improvements in science education and prevent the spread of maladaptive thinking patterns."
"The paper puts the science of mental immunity on a solid conceptual and empirical foundation," said Norman. "Cognitive immunology is off and running."
1 About CIRCE 2 Sander Van Der Linden - Google Scholar 3 https://www.growkudos.com/publications/10.1037%25252Fteo0000297/reader |
Contact:
Andy Norman
412-759-8414
[email protected]
SOURCE CIRCE
0 Comments
Latest on The PennZone
- GGILabs Expands Local SEO Services to Help Businesses Compete in AI-Driven Search
- Sara Viteri, Turnstone Creative Senior Producer, Named to Lehigh Valley Business' Forty Under 40
- Boyertown Mechanic Travels to Nashville to Learn How AI Is Changing Auto Repair
- Colonial Nissan Earns Capital One Top Performing Dealership Award
- BlazeHive's AI SEO Agent Outranks Human Writers on 500+ Google Top-3 Results in 5 Months, on Autopilot
- Logistics Expert Asks A Question Biology Has Overlooked: How Evolution Assembles Coordinated Novelty
- Phinge Exposes Massive AI Security Risks, Claiming Its Patented Hardware-Verified Architecture Is The Only Safeguard Against Surveillance Capitalism
- Phinge & CEO Robert DeMaio Publicly Declare Cash Settlements or Judgments Alone Cannot & Will Not Remedy the Deep Public Harm of Infringing Its IP
- Dana Flanagan Expands the Authority Architect, Bringing a Nontraditional Approach to Executive Authority, Strategic Access and Business Growth
- Phinge's Netverse: Reclaiming the Digital Frontier For Everyone Through CEO Robert DeMaio's Vision of a True App-less, User Data Sovereign World
- DuraFast Label Company Launches Seiko SLP850 2" Thermal Printer with Free Label Promotion
- Scientific Figure Releases Free Layout Template Libraries for Graphical Abstracts and Research Posters
- Permian Museum announces the addition of an Ancient Alien Artifacts photo gallery
- Philly Tailgates Announces Full 2026 Eagles Season Schedule, Opening With Back-to-back Events
- The Golden Jazz Fest Shuttle Returns for 2026
- KeysCaribbean Resorts Offer Savings On Vacations Through Aug. 31, Preview Exceptional Select Fall Rates of Less Than $200/Night
- Fit Body Boot Camp Launches Nationwide 'Fit Body Forever' Workshops to Help Adults 60+ Rebuild Strength and Prevent Falls
- Canadian Aerospace Defence Talent Expo (CADTE) Launches National TalentThread Initiative to Strengthen Canada's Future Workforce
- 5.6 Million EUR in Q1 Project Awards for Integrated IoT Solutions / Data Analytics Subsidiary of Smart City Developer: Affluence (Stock Symbol: AFFU)
- Merger Advancement For Embodied AI Co in Robotic Systems Serving High Value Hospitality, Gaming & Real Estate Sectors: MBody AI Corp. (NAS DAQ: MBAI)