People who share fake news are likely to experience unusual thoughts, researchers say

Fake news sharers are likely to experience unusual thoughts, researchers find. — AFP Relaxnews

On social networks, misinformation is everywhere. And while some might think to check the information they share, a minority of Internet users opt to share erroneous content, sometimes deliberately. A UK research team set out to find out what differentiates these people, and what motivates them.

People with higher scores on a measure of positive schizotypy are more likely to share false information about politics on social networks, claims a study led by Tom Buchanan of the University of Westminster in the UK, published in the journal Plos One.