Scientists from the universities of Cambridge and Nottingham researching the brain and propaganda have achieved a breakthrough in neuroscience, proving that the human brain processes dry facts and personal memories in the same neural centers. This discovery explains the underlying mechanisms of memory and reveals why we are so vulnerable to media manipulation.
NEWSROOM IN has analyzed why, on a biological level, we believe in propaganda and fictional narratives just as strongly as we do our own life experiences.
Previously, science strictly divided our memory into two types:
- Episodic: Your personal “movies” (a first kiss, the smell of the sea).
- Semantic: A database of information (language rules, capital cities).
It was long believed that the brain used different regions to retrieve these types of information. However, an experiment using fMRI showed something striking: the exact same areas of the brain are activated for both.
Participants were asked to match pairs of words and images, such as brand logos with their names. In some cases, they relied only on their existing knowledge; in others, they used information recently provided by the researchers.
“We were very surprised. Traditionally, searching for facts and searching for memories were thought to be different processes. But neuroimaging showed there are no differences,” admits lead researcher Dr. Roni Tibon.
Propaganda and the “False Life”
These new findings shed light on the frightening mechanism behind how our “social reality” is formed. If the brain sees no difference between a learned fact and a lived event, it opens up limitless possibilities for manipulation.
How it works in the era of narratives:
- Creating pseudo-memories: When a person hears a specific ideological narrative every day, the brain stores it in the same cells where real knowledge is kept. Over time, a propaganda slogan becomes just as “true” to the neurons as the law of gravity or the memory of yesterday’s breakfast.
- The presence effect: Modern media and social networks create a powerful emotional backdrop. When we watch a video with a compelling plot, the brain “lives” through it. Thanks to this discovery, we now understand that the brain tags this external experience as “its own.” This creates a new reality where individuals are ready to defend fictional facts with the same passion as their own personal history.
- Eroding the critical filter: If the information retrieval mechanism is unified, it is easier for the brain to “pull up” a ready-made, frequently repeated idea (semantic memory) than to analyze complex, real-world experience.
The Illusory Truth Effect and the “Rule of Seven”
In marketing and psychology, this phenomenon is known as the “Illusory Truth Effect.” It relies on “magic numbers” that advertisers and propagandists have used for decades.
The Rule of Seven
A classic marketing rule states that a potential customer must encounter your message an average of 7 times before they not only remember the brand but begin to trust it and become ready to act.
Why exactly seven? During the first 2–3 times, the brain tags the information as “noise” or “something new.” After 4–5 times, the information moves into the category of “familiar.” Our brains are evolutionarily hardwired: familiar = safe = true. By the 7th time, the information is so firmly embedded in memory that when a question arises, the brain produces this answer as “self-evident.”
How does this work at the neuronal level? The new study from Cambridge suggests the brain records facts and personal experience identically. When you hear a slogan for the 10th time, it becomes easier for the brain to process (a concept called “cognitive ease”). The brain mistakenly takes this ease for truth. It whispers to you: “Since I remembered this so easily, it must be true.”
Unfortunately, this same rule works for darker purposes. In 2026, thanks to social media algorithms, this “Rule of Seven” can trigger in a single evening. As you scroll through your feed, you see:
- A blogger’s post.
- An advertising banner.
- A short video (Reels/TikTok).
- A comment under a photo.
- A news headline.
- A meme on the topic.
- A friend’s repost.
That is all it takes. By morning, your brain is ready to “believe” in a new reality because it has been surrounded by it. The same memory retrieval mechanism found by scientists simply offers you the most accessible (frequently repeated) information. Our brain is a device that seeks to save energy. It is easier for it to believe in a pre-packaged “worldview” than to distinguish: “this I saw for myself” versus “this I was told 100 times.”
5 Techniques for “Digital Hygiene”
To prevent the brain from “buying into” artificially created narratives and to maintain a connection with reality, it is vital to understand its biological laziness. Since neurons do not care where information comes from, we must manually set up “checkpoints.”
NEWSROOM IN offers five digital hygiene techniques based on the principles of how memory works:
1. The “Sensory Grounding” Method: When you read news that triggers a strong reaction, ask yourself: “Is this part of my physical experience?”
How it works: The brain mixes semantic (facts) and episodic (events) memory. By forcing yourself to remember what you personally saw, heard, or touched in the last 24 hours, you draw a clear line between your life and “information noise.”
2. The “Repetition Pattern Break” Technique: The brain perceives frequently repeated information as true.
What to do: If you catch yourself thinking “Everyone knows that…” or “It’s obvious,” stop. Try to find three arguments against that assumption. This forces the brain out of its automatic retrieval of “learned facts” and engages the prefrontal cortex for analysis.
3. Emotional Inventory: Propaganda always targets emotions (fear, anger, pride) because information is “hardwired” faster into episodic memory zones through these channels.
What to do: As soon as you feel a sharp emotional spike from content, put your smartphone away for 15 minutes. This time allows the amygdala (the emotional center) to “cool down,” preventing the brain from registering the content as a vital personal event.
4. Search for the Original Source “With Your Own Eyes”: Since the brain records logos and memories identically, it easily believes interpretations.
What to do: Do not read a summary of an event—look for raw video without commentary or the full text of a document. Your task is to give your brain a chance to form its own “episodic memory” of the fact, rather than recording someone else’s ready-made interpretation in the “knowledge” section.
5. Source Diversification (The “Information Vinaigrette” Method): If you consume information from only one source, your brain forms a monolithic and very durable neural network of “truth.”
What to do: Read media from different countries and different political perspectives. When the brain receives contradictory “facts” about the same event, it cannot simply record them as truth. This activates a critical filter and forces the system to doubt.
