We Don't Need No Thought Control: The Psychology of Disinformation and Cult Mentality
On this episode of the pod we are joined by a special guest, Dr. Jay Van Bavel, who is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at New York University, to discuss the anti-vaccine movement, cult-mentality, and the predilection for conspiratorial thinking.
We summarize some factors that contribute to susceptibility to cult mentality and the rapid increase in these mentalities during the pandemic. We discuss some underlying reasons that lead to the distrust of experts and the concept of "the death of expertise." We talk about the newly coined term, "mass formation psychosis" and what it means (and doesn't mean). We talk about the handful of physicians and scientists who seemingly "switch teams" and promote anti-science theories and conspiracies. Finally, we spend some time talking about "trolls," how to deal with them, and whether it is possible to break through to them. You don't want to miss this!
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