The Mental Immunity Project

Researchers have made a startling discovery: the mind has an immune system all its own. This system combats infectious information the same way the body combats infectious microbes—by manufacturing antibodies. We experience those mental antibodies as questions and doubts. This discovery could not come at a better time—we need to fortify mental immune systems against the infectious nonsense that even now circulates freely on the web. The findings of cognitive immunology light the path to a world where manipulative messaging no longer divides peaceful societies against themselves.

CIRCE has assembled a panel of the world’s leading experts in information epidemiology, cognitive immunology, and the science of mind-inoculation. This team is working to produce a useful guide to mental immune health, focusing on simple, actionable strategies for disrupting the transmission of bad information. Once completed, CIRCE will promote the release of the guide to create broad awareness of these powerful new tools.

•  A reduction in dysfunctional partisanship.  
• The empowerment of educators, organizational heads, community leaders, and individuals to build mental immunity in themselves and others.  
• The establishment of new critical thinking and idea-testing norms aimed at curbing the spread of misinformation.