Why does misinformation stay in the public conscious? As the Trump administration releases falsehood after falsehood about voter fraud, crime statistics, and the recent claim that former president Obama was tapping into the phones at Trump Tower, this question has taken on a new urgency. But the spread of misinformation isn't new, nor is it a product of the right. Plenty of liberals believe that vaccines cause autism, and that police burned a camp at Standing Rock.

So why do we believe such falsehoods? If you find an article or website that confirms your beliefs, then it should be true, right? This line of thinking is what us psychologists call the confirmation bias. When people want a certain idea to be true, they end up believing that it is. Psychologists say that these individuals are motivated by wishful thinking. This error leads the individual to stop gathering information when the evidence confirms the views we would like to be true.

Although we like to believe that we are objective and always fact-checking every article that pops up on our newsfeed, we still pick out pieces of data that conform to our beliefs. We don't have the cognitive space to draw boundaries between what resides in our minds and what resides elsewhere. We may believe that we're smarter and more well-informed than the "monsters" or "fools" on the other side, yet we lack the ability to retain sufficiently detailed information about them.

Confirmation bias is especially prevalent in anxious individuals, who view the world as dangerous. For example, a person with low self-esteem is highly sensitive to being ignored by other people. They constantly check for signs that people might not like them. If you are worried your friend is mad at you, you'll interpret any signs of negative behavior as confirmation of that belief. Therefore, you'll believe that this friend is genuinely mad at you instead of just being annoyed that their favorite sports team lost.

Although it can be hard to come to terms with our cognitive limitations, it can also be empowering. It can drive us to find more nuanced analyses about our world leaders instead of superficial headlines. It can help us learn to understand (not empathize with!) the other side. A better understanding of our natural ignorance will be a valuable aid in our quest for truth.