Why people support misinformation
Our results highlight the limits of directly countering disinformation, since for some people the literal truth does not matter.
For example, in August 2025, President Donald Trump erroneously stated that crime in Washington, D.C. was at an all-time high, causing countless fact checking its premises and think in pieces about his detachment from reality.
But we believe that to a symbolic thinker, whistleblowers simply demonstrate that they are the ones who are reactive and therefore weak. Correct information is readily available, but it is of little value to those who prioritize symbolic displays of power. It is important to make it clear that the person is not listening and is not being influenced.
In fact, for symbolic thinkers, almost any statement must be justifiable. The more outlandish or easily debunked something is, the more powerful a person can appear to stand on its side. Being lord of the land— a controversial online provocateur — or outright lies can, in their own strange way, appear “authentic.”
Some people may also view the statements of their favorite hypocrites as provocative trolling, but given the connection between this thinking and authoritarianism, they want these far-fetched statements to come to fruition anyway. For example, stationing National Guard troops in Washington may be a desirable end goal, even if the proposed justification is a transparent farce.
Is this really five-dimensional chess?
It's entirely possible that symbolic but not entirely true beliefs have some downstream utility, such as serving as a negotiating tactic, a test of loyalty, or a long game of “fake it 'til you make it” that somehow eventually becomes reality. Political theorist Murray Edelman, known for his work on political symbolismnoted that politicians often prefer to score symbolic points rather than achieve results – it’s easier. Leaders can offer symbolism when they have nothing to offer.
Randy Stein is an assistant professor of marketing at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona And Abraham Ratchik professor of psychology at California State University, Northridge.
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