From a story on politico.com by Marcel Danesi headlined “What Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Viktor Orban Understand About Your Brain”:

Why do people believe some politicians’ lies even when they have been proven false? And why do so many of the same people peddle conspiracy theories?

Lying and conspiratorical thinking might seem to be two different problems, but they turn out to be related. I study political rhetoric and have tried to understand how populist politicians use language to develop a cult-like following, divide nations, create culture wars and instill hatred.