Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Fake news, misinformation, and conspiracy theories have become defining challenges of the digital age. But how much do they actually influence what we believe? Are people as easy to deceive as we often assume?
In this edition of CEU Research Insights, Ákos Szegőfi, who earned his PhD in Cognitive Science from Central European University, shares the findings of his research on misinformation, deceptive communication, and human decision-making.
Using a combination of historical archives and psychological experiments, his research explores how professional misinformation campaigns are designed, why some deceptive strategies succeed while others fail, and what these findings reveal about human reasoning. One of his most important conclusions is that people are generally more critical and resilient than they are often given credit for—and that trust remains one of the essential foundations of healthy societies.
CEU Research Insights introduces the people and ideas behind the university's research, making complex topics accessible to a wider audience.
Central European University is an institution of advanced research and teaching, dedicated to socially and morally responsible intellectual inquiry.
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Fake news, misinformation, and conspiracy theories have become defining challenges of the digital age. But how much do they actually influence what we believe? Are people as easy to deceive as we often assume?
In this edition of CEU Research Insights, Ákos Szegőfi, who earned his PhD in Cognitive Science from Central European University, shares the findings of his research on misinformation, deceptive communication, and human decision-making.
Using a combination of historical archives and psychological experiments, his research explores how professional misinformation campaigns are designed, why some deceptive strategies succeed while others fail, and what these findings reveal about human reasoning. One of his most important conclusions is that people are generally more critical and resilient than they are often given credit for—and that trust remains one of the essential foundations of healthy societies.
CEU Research Insights introduces the people and ideas behind the university's research, making complex topics accessible to a wider audience.
Central European University is an institution of advanced research and teaching, dedicated to socially and morally responsible intellectual inquiry.
More from CEU:
Home https://www.ceu.edu/
Facebook facebook.com/WeAreCEU
Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/weareceu.bsky.social
Instagram instagram.com/weareceu
LinkedIn linkedin.com/school/central-european-university
Threads threads.net/@weareceu
Subscribe for more videos:
youtube.com/CentralEuropeanUniversityChannel
