Emotional reactions to fake news
Human behavior has a tremendous influence on our social, cultural, and economic decisions. Our emotions influence our economy as much as, if not more than, rational thinking. Behavioral economics drives our decision-making process. We buy consumer goods that we physically need and satisfy our emotional desires. We might even buy a smartphone in the heat of the moment, although it exceeds our budget.
Our emotional and rational reactions to fake news depend on whether we think slowly or react quickly to incoming information. Daniel Kahneman described this process in his research and book, Thinking, Fast and Slow (2013).
He and Vernon L. Smith were awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for behavioral economics research. Behavior drives decisions we previously thought were rational. Unfortunately, many of our decisions are based on emotions, not reason.
Let’s translate these concepts into a behavioral flowchart applied...