PsyPost reports that casual disregard for reality poses a "uniquely potent threat" to public knowledge and belief. People are more likely to believe false information when it comes from someone who ignores the truth altogether rather than a liar “who actively tries to deceive.” This is because repeating statements made by someone who is completely indifferent to facts “heavily increases how truthful those statements feel” to an audience. Additionally, casual Trump-style disregard for reality appears to pose a deadly threat to community knowledge. According to researchers, the divide sits between a simple “liar,” — someone who knows the truth and intentionally tries to mislead an audience — and a “bulls——er,” who “communicates with little to no regard for the truth, evidence, or established facts.” A statement made by a “bulls——er” might happen to be true, or it might be false, but the defining characteristic is the speaker’s absolute indifference to reality. Because they ...
