Unaware You're Being Deceived? 4 Surprising Truths About What's Happening to Our Brains in the Information Society

Is this information really true?

When you open social media, shocking news and widely shared posts jump out at you every single day. Before you know it, you find yourself hitting "like" and retweeting. But wait a minute. Is it really safe to believe that information?

Actually, the problem is much more serious. We are not just "easily deceived"; our brains are designed to be deceived in the first place.

Even at this very moment, you are in the middle of an information war. You might be standing defenseless on the front lines of an "information war" overflowing with fake news and propaganda.

What I realized after researching media literacy and facing a great deal of misinformation is that the general approach of "let's be careful about rumors" is completely insufficient. This is because it ignores the fundamental mechanisms of the human brain.

In this article, I will share four surprising truths revealed by cognitive science and media analysis. Knowing these will fundamentally change how you engage with information.

Truth #1: The assumption that propaganda equals "lies" leaves you defenseless

What comes to mind when you hear the word "propaganda"?

Agitprop posters from a dictatorship? Blatant lies? Many people think so. But that is a huge misunderstanding.

According to the professional book "How to Spot Propaganda," propaganda is "any information designed by the sender with the intent to guide the thoughts and actions of many people in a specific direction." In other words, whether it is a lie or not is irrelevant.

What we should really be asking

Conventional question: "Is this information a fact?" (Fact-check)
↓
New question: "Why is this information reaching me now, in this form?" (Intent-check)

Let's think about this with a concrete example.

Suppose an advertisement for a health food product claims, "87% of doctors recommend it!" This might be a fact. But what you should really ask is:

• Who conducted that survey? (Is it not an affiliate of the manufacturer?)

• How many doctors were asked? (100? Or 10?)

• Why is this appearing on my social media feed right now? (Is my search history being used?)

The surprising commonality between the father of advertising and the Nazis

Surprisingly, Edward Bernays, the father of the modern advertising and PR industry, and Nazi Germany's propaganda techniques shared the same ideological roots.

What they both had in common was the recognition that "the masses are moved by emotion, not reason." Bernays declared:

In other words, much of what we consider to be our “own opinions” may actually be “designed” by someone else.

What makes this terrifying is that it is deeply connected to the next truth—our brains themselves are built to be unable to resist this manipulation.

Truth #2: Even the highly educated get deceived—the brain is not a “truth-seeking machine”

I have some unfortunate news for you.No matter how hard you try to be objective, your brain is not designed to prioritize the truth.

Dr. Tali Sharot, a cognitive neuroscientist,reveals a shocking fact: our brains prioritize accepting information thataligns with our own beliefs, emotions, and convenience over objective facts.

Are smarter people more easily deceived?

Ironically,the more intelligent a person is, the more they tend to use their intelligence to protect their beliefs rather than to seek the truth.

For example, look at doctors and scientists who are anti-vaccine. Despite having advanced professional knowledge, they use that knowledge to reinforce the belief that “vaccines are dangerous” (confirmation bias). They skillfully ignore data that contradicts them.

The scientific reason why “fear” cannot move people

You often see threats like, “If you don't do this, something terrible will happen!”

But in reality,fear-based messages are often counterproductive.

Explained through brain science:

• Negative information → Activates the brain's “avoidance system” → Stops action/maintains status quo

• Positive information → Stimulates the brain's “approach system” → Promotes action

The actual experimental results are surprising. A case study where a hospital tried to improve hand-washing rates among doctors:

❌ Failed method: “If you don't wash your hands, the risk of infection increases” (fear appeal) → Compliance rate remained at 10%

✅ Successful method: “Today's hand-washing rate is 70%! Fantastic!” (positive feedback)
→ Compliance rate jumped to90%.

In short, our brains are built to react “emotionally” rather than “rationally.”

And those who know these characteristics of the brain use even more sophisticated methods. That is the next truth.

Truth #3: The most powerful disinformation is created from 'truth'—weaponized truth

This is where it gets truly terrifying.

The most effective information operations are not carried out with complete lies, but with 'genuine truths'.

Case study: The 2016 US Presidential Election

Do you remember the DNC (Democratic National Committee) email hacking incident that occurred during the 2016 presidential election?

The content of the leaked emails was almost entirelyauthentic. They were not forged. But that was not the issue.

As Thomas Rid points out in his book 'Active Measures',:

What caused the damage was:

• ❌ The fact that the information was 'false'

• ✅ The 'act' of exposing that information itself

In other words:

• Violating privacy,

• creating social chaos,

• and hijacking public discourse at a strategic moment

This in itself becomes apowerful means of attack.

Thinking about it with a familiar example

This is not just a story about the world of politics.

For example, suppose a whistleblower report about a company is posted on an anonymous bulletin board. The content might be factual. But:

• Who exposed it, why, and at this timing?

• Is a rival company involved?

• Is there an intention to manipulate the stock price?

Using the truth as a weapon—this is the essence of modern information warfare.

So, how should we counter this kind of information manipulation?

Truth #4: 'Debunking' is counterproductive—the golden pattern of refutation taught by science

What do you do when you find misinformation?

Point it out head-on by saying, 'That's wrong!'? Actually, that is the worst response.

Why 'debunking' fails

Two phenomena revealed by cognitive science research:

1. Continued Influence Effect Once misinformation is believed, it continues to influence people's thinking even after it has been corrected.

2. Illusory Truth Effect
The very act of repeating misinformation to deny it increases its 'familiarity,' which can actually make it seem more truthful.

For example: 'There are no 5G microchips in vaccines!'
↓
What remains in the other person's head is the combination of the words 'vaccine,' '5G,' and 'microchip'
↓
The misinformation is actually reinforced

The effective 'pattern' of refutation proven by science

The 'Debunking Handbook 2020' presents 4 steps:

1. FACT: First, present the correct information first
2. MYTH (Warning): Warn that you are about to mention misinformation
3. FALLACY (Explanation): Explain why that information is incorrect
4. FACT (Re-reinforcement): Repeat the correct information again

Let's look at a practical example

❌ Bad example: 'It is a lie that COVID vaccines cause infertility!'

✅ Good example:

1. FACT: 'COVID vaccines do not affect reproductive function. Millions of pregnant women around the world have been safely vaccinated and have given birth to healthy babies.'

2. MYTH: 'Misinformation is spreading that "vaccines cause infertility," but'

3. FALLACY: "This information stems from the misunderstanding that the spike protein in the vaccine is similar to a protein in the placenta. In reality, their structures are completely different, and there is no scientific basis for this."

4. FACT: "To repeat, COVID-19 vaccines do not have a negative impact on pregnancy or childbirth. In fact, because pregnant women are at a higher risk of severe illness if they contract COVID-19, vaccination is recommended."

In this way, it is important not to make misinformation the main focus, but to start and end with correct information.

Conclusion: Build an 'Intellectual Immune System' to Survive the Information Society

Having read this far, you might feel a bit heavy-hearted. Thinking, 'So, what are we supposed to do?'

But there is hope here. Understanding these mechanisms is your strongest defense.

The Big Picture Painted by the 4 Truths

1. Information has intent (The essence of propaganda)

2. Our brains are easily deceived (Cognitive vulnerability)

3. Even truth can be a weapon (Weaponized truth)

4. There is a correct form for refutation (Scientific countermeasures)

These are not isolated pieces of knowledge. They are components that make up a single defense system.

What you can do starting today

Next time you encounter information that makes you feel 'This is absolutely wrong!' or 'This is absolutely correct!', stop and ask yourself:

'Why do I feel that way?'

• Is that truly an objective judgment?

• Am I just accepting it because it's convenient for my own beliefs?

• Who delivered this information to me, why, and at this timing?

This question is the first step toward surviving the information society.

To avoid drowning in the flood of information

In modern society, it is no longer possible to avoid information. That is precisely why instead of accepting information defenselessly, you need to become an active and critical participant.

• Question the 'intent' behind the message

• Be aware of the 'biases' your own brain has

• Understand the 'tactics' that distort information

• Acquire effective 'patterns for refutation'

These are all trainable skills. Just like muscle training, the more you use them, the stronger they become.

Your brain is easily deceived. But now that you know that, you are no longer defenseless.

Let's start training your 'intellectual immune system' to survive the era of information warfare, starting today.

If you found this article helpful, please share it and spread 'intellectual immunity' to others. Each person becoming wiser leads to protecting society as a whole.

(Created using Gemini 2.5 pro Deep Research, NoteBookLM, and Claude Sonnet 4.5)