Historian of behavioral sciences, behavioral micro-control, and brainwashing. New book: The Instability of Truth: Brainwashing, Mind Control, Hyper-Persuasion
Cambridge, MA
Joined July 2015
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Psychedelics and the Specter of Mind Control | Mahindra Humanities Center mahindrahumanities.harvard.e…
Psychedelics and the Specter of Mind Control | Mahindra Humanities Center mahindrahumanities.harvard.e… free and open to the public!
Rebecca Lemov retweeted
AI chatbots are telling people they’re prophets, even gods.
Harvard historian @rlemov explains how we got here… and why our free will may not be as free as we think.
Full interview 👇
Rebecca Lemov retweeted
How hyperpersuasion hijacks free will. @amandaknox interviews @Harvard science historian @rlemov, author of #TheInstablilityTruth: #Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyperpersuasion from @WWNorton youtube.com/watch?v=11l8fPds…
Facebook Changed almost 700,000 Newsfeeds - The Results Were Disturbing youtu.be/MudTcmYH5lk?si=Ombm… via @YouTube it was great to talk with @cultexpert about mind control and its new forms
This was such an enjoyable conversation with @michaelshermer, I really loved it, made me think
I've read every book there is on brainwashing, mind control, persuasion, belief, etc. @rlemov ' book is absolutely one of the best overall reviews of the scientific literature on the subject whose history is fraught with myth and pseudoscience.
Must read.
Audio edition too!
I totally enjoyed this conversation with Michael Shermer - so interesting to talk with someone with a wide range of knowledge on everything from the Milgram experiments to the enlightenment. youtube.com/watch?v=cUcCTpjl…
Rebecca Lemov retweeted
Did you know Facebook secretly ran an experiment on 693,000 people?
In 2012, they altered users’ feeds: some more negative, some more positive. The “negative” group then posted more outrage and anger. The “positive” group posted more positively.
This was published in 2014, announcing they had operationalized emotional contagion.
The roots of digital manipulation run deeper than most realize.
Watch the full interview with myself and @rlemov here: youtu.be/MudTcmYH5lk
Rebecca Lemov retweeted
Why did China try to brainwash American POWs during the war?
Harvard historian @rlemov explains what they hoped to gain.
👀 Watch: youtu.be/-t1NV1pRnfg
Rebecca Lemov retweeted
What if you could be persuaded to confess to a crime you didn’t commit or believe an identity that was manufactured for you?
Harvard historian and sociologist Dr. Rebecca Lemov (@rlemov - author of The Instability of Truth: Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyper-Persuasion) explores how the manipulation of belief has shaped modern society from Cold War psychology to today’s social media. For the full episode, Click the ▶️ linktw.in/vhAtQu 🧠💥 #BialikBreakdown #mayimbialik #mentalhealthpodcast #podcast
Rebecca Lemov retweeted
This week on @alittlebitculty, we’re diving deep into the mind games with Harvard professor and author Rebecca Lemov @rlemov. In Part 1 of our convo, we’re cracking open the history of #brainwashing.
alittlebitculty.com/episode/…
To some extent, we're all brainwashed --- and here's what you can do about it. Wonderful conversation with Ed Mylett youtu.be/1TEYGJTaeYs?si=FElo… via @YouTube
Rebecca Lemov retweeted
The science behind why we're all vulnerable to brainwashing. National Public Radio "On Point" @MeghnaWBUR interviews @Harvard science historian @rlemov about her book #TheInstabilityofTruth: Brainwashing, Mind Control & Hyper-Persuasion from @wwnorton wbur.org/onpoint/2025/06/09/… @NPR
Rebecca Lemov retweeted
"When we think silently, we're lazy searchers. We stop digging through our memory once we hit something that feels "good enough"; a half-formed idea, a vague sense of familiarity, or a partial answer that satisfies our mental itch. But...
Rebecca Lemov retweeted
We tend to overestimate what we can do in a day, and underestimate what we can achieve in a decade. Miraculous things can be accomplished if you give it 10 years. A long game will compound small gains that will be able to overcome even big mistakes. #excellentadvice
