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Episode #1: High Frequency, Low Noise, and “The Truth”
In our very first episode, we’re diving into the question that quietly shapes everything else we’ll explore on this show: why do we believe the things we believe, and how much of that is actually true?
Ultimately, this episode isn’t about proving anyone wrong. It’s about noticing the moment we stop asking the question altogether. Confirmation bias, algorithms, echo chambers: none of that makes you broken, it just means you have a brain that’s trying to conserve energy. The real risk is mistaking “familiar” for “true,” or “fast” for “intuitive.” Intuition isn’t the enemy of critical thinking; assumption is, and that gap between the two is where we’re going to be spending a lot of time on this show.
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Sources, Organized by Section
1. Why We Believe Things That Aren’t True
APA Psychologists are taking aim at misinformation with these powerful strategies
APA Psychological science can help counter spread of misinformation
APA Consensus Statement (PDF) — Using Psychological Science to Understand and Fight Health Misinformation
APA What psychological factors make people susceptible to believe and act on misinformation?
APA Why we fall for fake news: Hijacked thinking or laziness?
APA How and why does misinformation spread?
1a. Your Truth, My Truth, and THE Truth
Medium (Dialectic Reason) Is Truth Really Subjective? Relativism vs. Objectivity
Catholic Answers Your Truth, My Truth: How to Understand and Refute Relativistic Thinking
Substack What is truth?
1b. The Truth in Things We Don’t Understand
Association for Psychological Science All About Awe
Templeton The Science of Awe
Psychology Today The Quiet Power of Awe
2. Confirmation Bias
Simply Psychology Confirmation Bias In Psychology: Definition & Examples
Britannica Confirmation bias
Scribbr What Is Confirmation Bias?
3. Cognitive Bias & Rational Choice Theory
Britannica Cognitive bias
Wikipedia List of cognitive biases
Wikipedia Choice-supportive bias
5. How Algorithms Reinforce Belief
Reuters Institute (Oxford) Echo chambers, filter bubbles, and polarisation: a literature review
The Conversation Feedback loops and echo chambers: How algorithms amplify viewpoints
NCBI/PMC Through the Newsfeed Glass: Rethinking Filter Bubbles and Echo Chambers
5a. Echo Chamber: Treading the Line
Ed Latimore What Is a Social Media Echo Chamber? (How Algorithms Trap You)
arXiv A Systematic Review of Echo Chamber Research
6. Intuition vs. Assumption
Mindtools Intuition and Decision-Making (Kahneman’s System 1/2, Gary Klein’s research)
Springer (Business Research) When rational decision-making becomes irrational: intuition effectiveness
Wiley Intuition in Decision Making: Insights From Drift Diffusion Modeling
7. Why Being “Open-Minded” Doesn’t Mean Believing Everything
Psychology Today Open-Mindedness and Skepticism in Critical Thinking
Bellevue College Critical Thinking note 33: Open-Mindedness
FunBlocks The Power of Open-Mindedness: A Mental Model
Fondation Jasmin Roy Open-Mindedness: A Key to Better Understanding the World
8. Origins of Intuition (Jung / MBTI)
Simply Psychology Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Psychology Town Deciphering Personalities with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: An Extension of Jung’s Theories
Medical News Today Myers-Briggs: 16 personality types and their accuracy
8a. Quantifying Intuition
Wiley Intuition in Decision Making: Insights From Drift Diffusion Modeling
Cambridge Core How distinct are intuition and deliberation? An eye-tracking analysis