In 1977, Lynn Hasher and colleagues showed students plausible statements, some true and some false, in sessions two weeks apart. Statements they had seen before were rated as more likely true. In 2015, Lisa Fazio showed the effect works even for claims participants knew were false. The brain mistakes ease of processing for truth: a familiar sentence simply “feels right.” Slogans and misinformation owe much of their power to this.
Remembering is not replaying a recording — it is rebuilding. Each time you recall a memory, it becomes temporarily malleable and can be altered before being stored again. That is why two people can sincerely remember the same event… differently.
In 2003, Johnson and Goldstein compared European countries. Where you must tick a box to become a donor, consent rates ranged from 4% to 28%. Where you're a donor by default unless you opt out, they topped 85%. People aren't more generous on one side; most simply stick with whatever option was chosen for them.