Pulling The Thread
(Director/Producer)
Produced in collaboration with ITVS and WGBH/World Channel, this series unravels some of America’s most popular conspiracy theories and reveals the emotional, cognitive, and social forces that lead rational people to believe irrational things. The series doesn’t tell people what to think, but pushes us to examine how we think — why conspiracy theories are so alluring, how baseless rumors undermine trust and democracy — and what we can all do about it.
SERIES TRAILER
EP1: CONSPIRACY THEORIES ARE FOR LOSERS.
Which political party is most guilty of endorsing conspiracy theories? The surprising answer... the party that loses. But something changed in 2016: both parties seemed to be embracing conspiracy thinking more than ever.
EP2: THE 5 TRIGGERS OF CONSPIRACY THINKING
Why are conspiracy theories so alluring? Millions of years of evolution have baked all sorts of fascinating quirks into our brains. Mental shortcuts served us well but today, they can lead us down the rabbit hole of conspiracy thinking.
EP3: PRUDENT PARANOIA
African Americans are more suspicious of doctors than the rest of the country and 50% believe conspiracy theories about HIV. They’ve got good reasons to be suspicious. How do we draw the line between being prudent and being paranoid?
EP4: INTUITION VS. REASON
Is the government covering up aliens? Whether or not you believe this conspiracy theory depends on whether you are an intuitionist or a rationalist. Studies show that these different world views are increasingly driving Americans apart.
EP5: THE ILLUSION OF UNDERSTANDING
Not long ago, we had only a few sources of news. Today, anyone can be a “journalist.” This has problematized a common mental foible. With the decline of media gatekeepers how can we separate experts from amateurs and fact from fiction?
EP6: THE STORIES WE TELL OURSELVES.
Humans love stories -- especially stories in which underdog heroes defeat powerful villains and teach us moral lessons. What happens when real life doesn’t follow the script? Sometimes our brains make up a story that does.