Our Natural Vulnerability to Propaganda

 It's important to understand that susceptibility to propaganda isn't a sign of weakness, but rather a reflection of how our brains process information. Here are some key factors that make us vulnerable:

Emotional Appeals:

   ~> Propaganda often targets our emotions, such as fear, anger, or hope. Strong emotional responses can bypass our rational thinking, making us more likely to accept information without critical evaluation.

Confirmation Bias:

   ~> We tend to seek out and believe information that confirms our existing beliefs. Propaganda can exploit this by presenting information that aligns with our worldview, reinforcing our biases and making us less receptive to opposing viewpoints.

Social Influence:

   ~> We are social creatures, and we are influenced by the opinions and behaviors of those around us. Propaganda can leverage this by creating a sense of social pressure or conformity, making us more likely to accept information that is widely accepted by our social group.

Repetition:

   ~> Repeated exposure to information, even if it is false, can make it seem more credible. The "illusory truth effect" demonstrates that we are more likely to believe statements that we have heard multiple times.

Source Credibility:

  ~> We are more likely to believe information that comes from sources we perceive as credible. Propaganda can exploit this by associating itself with trusted figures, institutions, or media outlets.

Cognitive Biases:

   ~> Our brains use mental shortcuts, or cognitive biases, to process information quickly. These biases can make us susceptible to manipulation. For example, the "availability heuristic" leads us to overestimate the likelihood of events that are easily recalled, which can be exploited by propaganda that emphasizes dramatic or sensational events.

Information Overload:

   ~> In the current age of information overload, it is hard to check the validity of every piece of data we receive. This makes us more prone to accept information at face value.

Lack of Critical Thinking Skills:

   ~> The inability to properly analyze data, and understand logical fallacies, makes people more susceptible to propaganda.

Understanding these vulnerabilities is the first step in developing critical thinking skills and resisting the influence of propaganda.

In Case of Emergency, Break Glass.

 

Is Our Intuition Trustworthy 

We all have a negativity bias that causes us to notice and process negative information more than positive information. As a result we tend to over-emphasize risk / danger when there is none present. 

This isn’t a bad thing, but it is important to be aware of. We may make some bad decisions in situations that really matter if we fly by intuition alone.  

Intuition is the combination of our subconscious interacting with our current perceptions and tilted by our negativity bias - a stew of inaccuracies.

Confirmation bias provides the “proof” that our intuitions are accurate by recalling the very few times when we didn’t listen to our gut and got burned, but confirmation bias ignores the vast number of times in which we ignored our intuitions and everything worked out really well. 

A very few super talented people can use intuition effectively because their intuition is absolutely packed with a shit ton of evidence, knowledge, and experience. In other words they are absolute experts in their field. 

The rest of us are just making shit up and shooting inaccurately from the hip, yet because of all of our biases, cognitive distortions, thinking errors, faulty heuristics, limited intelligence and limited knowledge, our tendencies toward self-deception, etc., we have no idea that we are wrong. 

It’s all a fascinating process and life-problem. 

If your gut starts telling you something is off, unless there is imminent danger, holster your intuition, pause before making decisions, check the accuracy of your perceptions (almost guaranteed to be inaccurate), check your subconscious input (not easy), and gather more factual evidence.

In case of emergency, break glass and go with your gut. 

K. H. Little Consulting Services

Kenneth H. Little, MA

KHLittle603@gmail.com

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