--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bad information is a disease that attacks…" description: "\"“Bad information is a disease that attacks the brain. It messes with your head, making you do things that you shouldn't, causing you to make wrong deci..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/charles-seife-18021_change-the-world_bad-information-is-a-disease-that-attack_1227286.jpg" --- # Bad information is a disease that attacks the brain. It… ![“Bad information is a disease that attacks the brain. It messes with your head, making you do things that you shouldn't, causing you to make wrong decisions. Just as a potent virus co-opts your cells' machinery, bad information can co-opt your behavior. It can alter the way you interact with the…” quote by Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/charles-seife-18021_change-the-world_bad-information-is-a-disease-that-attack_1227286.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/charles-seife-18021_change-the-world_bad-information-is-a-disease-that-attack_1227286.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/charles-seife-18021_change-the-world_bad-information-is-a-disease-that-attack_1227286.jpg) > ““Bad information is a disease that attacks the brain. It messes with your head, making you do things that you shouldn't, causing you to make wrong decisions. Just as a potent virus co-opts your cells' machinery, bad information can co-opt your behavior. It can alter the way you interact with the world and, as a result, it can change the world.”” [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. False information spreads like a virus, hijacking cognition and behavior. **In simple terms:** Bad info corrupts thinking. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate information before acting. Themes misinformation cognition behavior Mood skeptical alert Type educational cautionary When to use this quote - media consumption - decision making - public policy Key Concepts information theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify sources? - What safeguards can prevent misinformation spread? A Different Perspective Even accurate data can be misused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-information-1211664/) [Brain Messes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-messes-3781090/) [Change the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/) [Information Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-disease-3781089/) [Information Opt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-opt-3781091/) [Virus Opts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virus-opts-3781092/) [Wrong decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-decisions/) ## Related quotes > [“The most obvious problem is that the freedom to post anything online floods the public square with bad information and half-baked thinking. The Internet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/the-most-obvious-problem-is-that-the-freedom-to-post-anything-online/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [There's so much more bad information than good information out there - everybody's got something to say and it's usually wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-strong/there-s-so-much-more-bad-information-than-good-information-out-there/) [Cecily Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-strong/) > [A huge amount of what goes on in the Middle East has to do with people being fed really bad information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-wales/a-huge-amount-of-what-goes-on-in-the-middle-east-has-to-do-with/) [Jimmy Wales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-wales/) > [It is commonly said that the Internet is unique in its ability to spread bad information to large numbers of people, but this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-e-agre/it-is-commonly-said-that-the-internet-is-unique-in-its-ability-to/) [Philip E. Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-e-agre/) > [There's a lot of bad information about TV Azteca in the market, but that's always an opportunity for smart and savvy investors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-salinas-pliego/there-s-a-lot-of-bad-information-about-tv-azteca-in-the-market-but/) [Ricardo Salinas Pliego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-salinas-pliego/) > [With the Internet, the greatest disseminator of bad data and bad information the universe has ever known, it's become impossible to trust any news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/with-the-internet-the-greatest-disseminator-of-bad-data-and-bad/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) > [Never before in human history has more bad information been available to more people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/never-before-in-human-history-has-more-bad-information-been-available/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [“There aren’t enough pages in this or any other book to catalog the amount of bad information on the Internet. Miracle cures, conspiracy theories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/there-aren-t-enough-pages-in-this-or-any-other-book-to-catalog-the/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [Never before in human history has more information been available to more people. But at the same time, never before in human history has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/never-before-in-human-history-has-more-information-been-available-to/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [“I'm sorry, but -I'm sorry !' I yelped and skipped backward as Gorg advanced on me. 'You were given bad information. Probably some human's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rex/i-m-sorry-but-i-m-sorry-i-yelped-and-skipped-backward-as-gorg/) [Adam Rex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rex/) > [“Bad emotions, bad parents, and bad feedback have more impact than good ones, and bad information is processed more thoroughly than good. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/bad-emotions-bad-parents-and-bad-feedback-have-more-impact-than-good/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“Changing your name, it doesn’t change your nature. Look at Sebastian—Jonathan. Calling himself Sebastian didn’t make any difference in the end. I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/changing-your-name-it-doesn-t-change-your-nature-look-at-sebastian/) [cassandra clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“You see, the best thing about wrong decisions is that they don’t prevent you from making the right decisions later on. It’s harder, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siobhan-vivian/you-see-the-best-thing-about-wrong-decisions-is-that-they-don-t/) [Siobhan Vivian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siobhan-vivian/) > [“In life, time can't stand still and it's unrealistic to attempt to create a state where it does. There again, time passes all too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/in-life-time-can-t-stand-still-and-it-s-unrealistic-to-attempt-to/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [“people say that life is a battle ground and we are warriors.. but what I understood about life is that:- it doesn't operates us..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katyayani-kumari/people-say-that-life-is-a-battle-ground-and-we-are-warriors-but-what/) [KATYAYANI KUMARI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katyayani-kumari/) ## More by Charles Seife > [“A bad idea, a wrong piece of information, a digital brain-altering virus can spread at the speed of light through the internet and quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/a-bad-idea-a-wrong-piece-of-information-a-digital-brain-altering/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“The key to a black hole's strange properties is the way it curves space-time. A black hole takes up no space at all, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/the-key-to-a-black-hole-s-strange-properties-is-the-way-it-curves/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“In string theory, zero has been banished from the universe; there is no such thing as zero distance or zero time. This solves all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/in-string-theory-zero-has-been-banished-from-the-universe-there-is-no/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Zero and infinity are eternally locked in a struggle to engulf all the numbers. 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This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/skinnerian-conditioning-crossed-with-social-pressure-is-now-an-ever/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“In 1933, the Indian Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar realized that the Pauli exclusion principle had only a limited ability to fight against the squeeze of gravity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/in-1933-the-indian-subrahmanyan-chandrasekhar-realized-that-the-pauli/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“We tend to shy away from data that challenges our assumptions, that erodes our preconceptions. Getting rid of our wrong ideas is a painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/we-tend-to-shy-away-from-data-that-challenges-our-assumptions-that/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Banishing zero also solves the infinity problems in general relativity. If you imagine a black hole as a string, no longer do objects fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/banishing-zero-also-solves-the-infinity-problems-in-general/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“With news and data that is tailored to our prejudices, we deprive ourselves of true information. We wind up wallowing in our own false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/with-news-and-data-that-is-tailored-to-our-prejudices-we-deprive/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [ “Digital information has an unbelievably high R0 \[basic reproductive rate\], and this means that it's hard to stop once it emerges. It spreads from… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/digital-information-has-an-unbelievably-high-r0-basic-reproductive/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Christianity initially rejected zero, but trade would soon demand it. The man who reintroduced zero to the West was Leonardo of Pisa. The son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/christianity-initially-rejected-zero-but-trade-would-soon-demand-it/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Zero dwells at the juxtaposition of quantum mechanics and relativity; zero lives where the two theories meet, and zero causes the two theories to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/zero-dwells-at-the-juxtaposition-of-quantum-mechanics-and-relativity/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Though the Casimir force-a mysterious, phantom force exerted by nothing at all-seems like science fiction, it exists. It is a tiny force and very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/though-the-casimir-force-a-mysterious-phantom-force-exerted-by/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“In the battle between Kronecker and Cantor, Cantor would ultimately prevail. Cantor's theory would show that Kronecker's precious integers-and even the rational numbers-were nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/in-the-battle-between-kronecker-and-cantor-cantor-would-ultimately/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) > [“Just as it's important to take the changing value of a dollar into account when comparing spending over time, it's important to take doctors'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-seife/just-as-it-s-important-to-take-the-changing-value-of-a-dollar-into/) [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) [Explore all 36 Charles Seife quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) ## More Change the world quotes > [If you learn something that changes you, you've made progress. If you learn something that changes others, you've helped change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanie-lane/if-you-learn-something-that-changes-you-you-ve-made-progress-if-you/) [Lanie Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanie-lane/) > [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Paul Gray - he believed in my art, and I believed in his music. Together, we decided to change the world, and that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-crahan/paul-gray-he-believed-in-my-art-and-i-believed-in-his-music-together/) [Shawn Crahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-crahan/) > [If I wanted to change the world, the last thing I would do is write a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-the-last-thing-i-would-do-is-write-a/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“if i am not in the world simply to adapt to it, but rather transform it, and if it is not possible to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/if-i-am-not-in-the-world-simply-to-adapt-to-it-but-rather-transform/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [I don't like lyrics to be overbearing. I like them to say something. But I'm not trying to change the world overnight. Something simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rodgers/i-don-t-like-lyrics-to-be-overbearing-i-like-them-to-say-something/) [Paul Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rodgers/) > [Larry Kramer wisely realized so early on that to change the world, people have to know you. If they know you and see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-murphy/larry-kramer-wisely-realized-so-early-on-that-to-change-the-world/) [Ryan Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-murphy/) > [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Don't underestimate the power of your vision to change the world. Whether that world is your office, your community, an industry or a global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/don-t-underestimate-the-power-of-your-vision-to-change-the-world/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [“I've been waiting for you a long time, Alina" He said. 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What if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/live-each-day-as-if-it-s-our-last-that-was-the-conventional-advice/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) [Browse all 2,043 Change the world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Bad information is a disease that attacks the brain. It messes with your head, making you do things that you shouldn't, causing you to make wrong decisions. Just as a potent virus co-opts your cells' machinery, bad information can co-opt your behavior. 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