This phenomenon was first identified in a 1977 study[2]. The study found that, hen truth is assessed, people tend to rely on whether the information is in line with their understanding or if it feels familiar. The first condition is logical, as people compare new information with what they already know to be true. Repetition makes statements easier to process relative to new, unrepeated statements, leading people to believe that the repeated conclusion is more truthful.
“Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”, is a law of propaganda often (wrongly) attributed to Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945), chief propagandist for the Nazi Party. another veriant is the große Lüge ('big lie'), a gross distortion or misrepresentation of the truth primarily used as a political propaganda technique.
The illusory truth effect has also been linked to hindsight bias, in which the recollection of confidence is skewed after the truth has been received.
Even incidental exposure reaches further than previously thought, with potentially consequential implications for concerns around mis- and dis-information[3].
The illusory truth effect plays a significant role in fields such as advertising, news media, political propaganda, and religious indoctrination. Conspiracy theories rely heavily on the illusionary truth effect. People with below average intelligence and low level schooling are prone to believing anything that aligns with their pre-existing beliefs.
[1] Paskin D: Real or fake news: Who knows? in Journal of Social Media in Society – 2018
[2] Hasher et al: Frequency and the conference of referential validity in Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior - 1977
[3] Mikell, Powell: Illusory implications: incidental exposure to ideas can induce beliefs in Royal Society - 2025
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