Join us and grab a drink as a cognitive psychologist breaks down why misinformation spreads — and why correcting people is so difficult.

Welcome to Binge Thinking! We host professors at local pubs to give talks on fascinating topics.

Topic: The Correction of Misinformation
Speaker: Briony Swire-Thompson (Northeastern University)

Why do people continue believing things even after they’ve been proven false?

In an age of endless newsfeeds, viral posts, conspiracy theories, and AI-generated content, misinformation has become one of the defining problems of modern life. But according to cognitive psychologist Dr. Briony Swire-Thompson, simply giving people the facts often isn’t enough.

Her research explores the psychology behind belief formation, resistance to evidence, and why some corrections succeed while others completely fail.

In this talk, Dr. Swire-Thompson will explain how misinformation changes the way we think — and what science says about how to actually correct it.

Topics include:

Why people believe inaccurate information in the first place

Why some individuals resist changing their beliefs even when presented with strong evidence

How effective corrections and fact-checks are designed

The surprising limitations of fact-checking

When corrections improve accuracy — and when they backfire

This talk combines psychology, media, politics, and cognitive science to explore one of the biggest challenges of the internet age.

Agenda:
7:00 PM – Doors Open, drinks and socializing
7:30 PM – Lecture begins
8:10 PM – Audience Q&A
8:30-9:00 PM – More drinks and conversation

Come meet curious people, grab a drink, and learn something new.

Think Responsibly.