Cass R. Sunstein, Columnist

Why Coronavirus (and Other) Falsehoods Are Believable

If you wonder why Trump’s untruths so often stick, social science has a depressing answer.

He’s pretty persuasive.

Photographer: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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Sports fans have been thrilled to learn that Major League Baseball will be back in May.

Okay, that’s false. But if you’re like most people, that false statement will linger in your memory, making you think, in some part of your mind, that baseball might indeed be returning pretty soon. (Sorry!)