Author(s): Sander van der Linden

Psychology | Mathematics

How do people come to believe in misinformation? How and why does it spread? And what can we do about it? 'In an era increasingly filled with half-truths, fake news, and misinformation, I am not here to tell you what to believe. I want to provide you with a guide to how your brain grapples with matters of fact and fiction; a toolbox to help sniff out attempts to influence your opinion through the dark arts of manipulation. A vaccine, if you will, against misinformation.' In Foolproof, one of the world's leading experts in social psychology, Dr Sander van der Linden, aka Cambridge's 'Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher' describes how to inoculate oneself against the spread of misinformation, discern fact from fiction and push back against methods of mass persuasion. Everyone is susceptible to fake news. There are polarising narratives in society, conspiracy theories are rife, fake experts dole out misleading advice and accuracy is often lost in favour of sensationalist headlines. So how and why does misinformation spread if we're all aware of its existence? And, more importantly, what can we do about it? Dr van der Linden takes us through the common traits of conspiratorial thinking and equips us with the eleven antigens needed to help stop the spread of misinformation once and for all.

Review:

'Authoritative' Financial Times

'Encouraging' The Times

'A fascinating case for counteracting the misinformation virus through psychological inoculation' Observer

'Foolproof proves an overview that is authoritative, comprehensive and chatty. You won't find a better survey of what is now a vast interdisciplinary landscape and that alone is a great service.' Tim Harford, FT

'An insightful and forensic examination of why our brains entertain disinformation - and the remedies that can protect us all from its real-world harm. For everyone who messages me asking how they can speak to someone who has fallen victim to online conspiracies - this is the book for you!' Marianna Spring

'Powerfully analyses why everyone is susceptible, how falsehoods spread, and how to "prebunk" misinformation and "inoculate" ourselves and others against it' Nature

'A fascinating, in-depth investigation into the complex landscape of misinformation from someone who has spent his career trying to combat fake news. You will never look at your social media feeds in the same way again' Angela Saini, author of Inferior and Superior

'a must-read for those of us interested in resisting the spread of disinformation' Psychology Today

'This brilliant book vividly illuminates the challenges of countering misinformation, showing how human psychology can make us vulnerable to manipulation and conspiracy theories. Van der Linden's analysis would be utterly depressing, were he not to provide a set of powerful evidence-based 'antigens' designed to protect us from false claims. They have never been more needed' Professor David Spiegelhalter

'Sander van der Linden is one of the world's leading experts on combating misinformation, and Foolproof is the ultimate handbook for navigating - and fighting back against - the tsunami that threatens to drown us in bullshit' Jay Van Bavel, author of The Power of Us

Author Biography: Sander van der Linden is The Professor of Social Psychology in Society and Director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge. He is often dubbed Cambridge's 'defence against the dark arts teacher' and his pioneering research on fake news, misinformation, science denial, and the psychology of influence and persuasion is world-renowned and has received many awards. Prior to Cambridge, he was based at Yale University and Princeton University. He earned his PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and currently resides in Cambridge, UK.