How do you know if your truth is really yours?

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, we’re diving into the murky waters of brainwashing, mind control, and hyper-persuasion—because your thoughts might not be as independent as you think. We're talking psychological manipulation, eerie government-funded experiments, and the sneaky, modern ways we’re influenced every damn day—by our feeds, our leaders, even our well-meaning friends.

Our guest is Harvard historian Rebecca Lemov, author of The Instability of Truth. She brings the receipts—tracing the roots of brainwashing, the science (and pseudoscience) behind behavioral control, and why we’re more persuadable than we’d like to admit. From Cold War experiments to TikTok trends, Rebecca helps us understand how easily truth can be distorted—and what to do about it.

Because if you’ve ever reposted without thinking, felt weirdly pressured to agree, or just wondered, “wait, is that true?”—this episode is for you.

Connect with Rebecca: 

Book: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324075264 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccalemov/ 

X: https://x.com/rlemov?lang=en 

Related Podcast Episodes:

Pants On Fire (The Truth About Lying) with Lauren Handel Zander | 219

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