Original subtitles

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT

EVERYTHING YOU SEE IS REAL?

THINK AGAIN.

PEOPLE OCCASIONALLY ASK ME,

"IS IT POSSIBLE TO TAKE AN

OBJECT LIKE A RUBIK'S CUBE,

CONCENTRATE ON IT, AND HAVE IT

LEVITATE?"

THE ANSWER IS YES.

ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS FOCUS YOUR

ATTENTION ON THE CUBE AND IT'LL

CONTINUE TO LEVITATE.

IT'S ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE AND

JUST GOES TO SHOW THE POWER OF

THE HUMAN MIND.

THE RUBIK'S CUBE

APPEARS TO BE FLOATING IN

MID-AIR.

BUT HOW?

THINK YOU KNOW HOW PSYCHOLOGIST

RICHARD WISEMAN DID THIS?

WE'LL REVEAL THE ANSWER IN JUST

A MINUTE.

BUT HERE'S A HINT--THE TRICK IS

IN YOUR BRAIN.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, YOUR BRAIN

LIES TO YOU CONSTANTLY.

IT'S A LITTLE SCARY.

YOU EXPERIENCE ILLUSIONS ALL

THE TIME.

YOU'RE EXPERIENCING AN ILLUSION

RIGHT NOW.

YOU'RE BRAIN INTERPRETS ME AS A

PERSON.

WHAT I REALLY AM IS A BUNCH OF

COLORED DOTS.

IN THIS SPECIAL H2

MINISERIES, WE'RE EXPLORING ALL

THE SURPRISING WAYS ILLUSIONS

CAN FOOL THE BRAIN.

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THAT

IMAGE THAT'S DECEIVING MY EYE.

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THAT THIS

WHOLE THING WAS MADE ENTIRELY

OUT OF STRAIGHT LINES?

IT DOES NOT LOOK STRAIGHT AT

ALL.

AND WE'LL SEE HOW

THOSE SAME ILLUSIONS HAVE

CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY.

THERE'S NO QUESTION,

ILLUSIONS AND HISTORY GO HAND IN

HAND.

IN THIS EPISODE,

WE'LL EXPLORE FIVE AMAZING

CASES, INCLUDING WHY AN

AMERICAN PRESIDENT BELIEVED THE

EARTH WAS HOLLOW, HOW AN

OPTICAL ILLUSION MADE NESSIE A

HOUSEHOLD NAME, AND WHY

MILLIONS BELIEVE THE MOON

LANDING WAS STAGED IN A

HOLLYWOOD STUDIO.

EACH OF THESE CASES WILL REVEAL

ONE ASTONISHING TRUTH--IT'S

ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHAT

IS FACT AND WHAT IS FICTION.

A GOOD PORTION OF WHAT OUR

BRAINS TRY TO DO ALL DAY EVERY

DAY IS SEPARATE TRUTH FROM

FICTION, REALITY FROM ILLUSION.

BUT WE DON'T ALWAYS GET IT

RIGHT.

THE MONSTERS, THE MONSTERS

ARE GOING TO KILL US!

WILL YOU FALL FOR

THE SAME ILLUSIONS AS SOME OF

HISTORY'S MOST ICONIC FIGURES?

LET'S FIND OUT, AND DISCOVER

WHAT MYSTERIES LIE INSIDE YOUR

BLEEPED-UP BRAIN.

HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT HOW RICHARD

WISEMAN FLOATED THIS RUBIK'S

CUBE IN MID-AIR?

LET'S WATCH IT ONE LAST TIME.

PEOPLE OCCASIONALLY ASK ME,

"IS IT POSSIBLE TO TAKE AN

OBJECT LIKE A RUBIK'S CUBE,

CONCENTRATE ON IT, AND HAVE IT

LEVITATE?"

THE ANSWER IS YES.

ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS FOCUS YOUR

ATTENTION ON THE CUBE AND IT

WILL CONTINUE TO LEVITATE.

IT'S ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE AND

JUST GOES TO SHOW THE POWER OF

THE HUMAN MIND.

HOW CAN DR. WISEMAN

SIMPLY STAND THERE AND MAKE AN

OBJECT LEVITATE?

HERE'S THE BIG SECRET BEHIND

THE FLOATING RUBIK'S CUBE--

I'M LAYING ON MY BACK.

NOW AS SOON AS YOU REALIZE THAT,

IT'S OBVIOUS HOW IT'S DONE.

THE CUBE IS SIMPLY SUSPENDED

FROM THE CEILING.

BUT IF YOU ASSUME I'M STANDING

UP, THE WHOLE THING BECOMES

IMPOSSIBLE.

IF DR. WISEMAN'S

FLOATING RUBIK'S CUBE FOOLED

YOU, IT'S BECAUSE HE

MANIPULATED YOUR FULL-PICTURE

PERSPECTIVE.

SOMETIMES, IN ORDER TO REALLY

WORK OUT WHAT'S GOING ON, YOU

NEED TO GET THE FULL PICTURE.

BUT HOW CAN THE

BRAIN TELL FACT FROM FICTION

WHEN THE FULL-PICTURE

PERSPECTIVE ISN'T AVAILABLE?

TO THE BRAIN, THE TRUTH IS OFTEN

RELATIVE.

WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF THE LOCH

NESS MONSTER, TYPICALLY THE

IMAGE THEY COME UP WITH IS THIS

WEIRD BLACK-AND-WHITE

PHOTOGRAPH, THIS INTRIGUING

BLACK, DARK, WEIRD SILHOUETTE.

IT LOOKS LIKE A MONSTER.

THIS IMAGE LAUNCHED

THE MONSTER ONTO THE WORLD

STAGE.

BUT IS THIS IMAGE REALLY A

PICTURE OF THE LOCH NESS

MONSTER?

IS IT REAL?

WHEN IT COMES TO FACT OR

FICTION, THE TRUTH IS ALL IN

YOUR BRAIN.

THERE'S MORE TO THIS PHOTOGRAPH

THAN MEETS THE EYE, AND IT ALL

STARTS WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHER,

COLONEL ROBERT WILSON.

THE STORY GOES, DR. WILSON

TOOK THIS PHOTO WHEN HE AND A

FRIEND OF HIS WERE DRIVING HOME

AT NIGHT.

AND THEY STOPPED TO TAKE A LEAK,

UM, AND THEY SAW SOMETHING

UNUSUAL IN THE LAKE, AND

THEY'RE LIKE, "OH, MY GOD!

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE LAKE."

DESPERATE TO SHOW

THIS ENORMOUS, SHADOWY CREATURE

TO THE WORLD, WILSON SNAPPED A

FEW PHOTOGRAPHS.

(camera clicking)

AND ONE BECAME LEGENDARY.

TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, THIS WAS

LIKE FINAL DEFINITIVE PROOF OF

THE LOCH NESS MONSTER.

AND IT BECAME KNOWN AS THE

SURGEON'S PHOTO.

A NUMBER OF

SCIENTISTS ANALYZED THE

SURGEON'S PHOTO, AND MANY OF

THEM CONFIRMED THIS COULD BE

NOTHING OTHER THAN NESSIE

HERSELF.

PEOPLE CAME OUT OF THE

WOODWORK TO GO TO LOCH NESS TO

LOOK FOR THE CREATURE.

BUT THE MOST

IMPRESSIVE ASPECT OF THE

CREATURE WAS ITS PERCEIVED SIZE.

A LOT OF PEOPLE THOUGHT IT

WAS A DINOSAUR OR MIGHT BE

RELATED TO A DINOSAUR.

IT WAS IMAGINED TO BE BIG...

(creature roars)

BETWEEN 30 AND 60 FEET.

(creature snarls)

AND SIZE DOES

MATTER.

IN THE LATE 1980s, A NEW PIECE

OF EVIDENCE CHANGED THE PUBLICS'

PERCEPTION OF THE PHOTO.

BURIED DEEP IN A SCOTTISH

ARCHIVE, RESEARCHERS UNCOVERED

THE PHOTO'S ORIGINAL PRINT, AND

A SHOCKING FACT CAME INTO VIEW.

IT TURNED OUT THAT THE PHOTO

HAD BEEN CROPPED.

THE FAMOUS PHOTO OF

NESSIE ISN'T THE FULL PICTURE.

THIS IS THE ORIGINAL.

WELL, A CURIOUS THING

HAPPENED BECAUSE THE DINOSAUR

SHRUNK.

AND THIS IS BECAUSE

THE UNCROPPED PHOTO REVEALS A

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE OF NESSIE.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE UNCROPPED

PHOTO, DIFFERENT THINGS APPEAR.

FOR EXAMPLE, YOU FIND OUT THAT

THOSE RIPPLES IN THE WATER ARE

LITTLE, TINY RIPPLES.

THEY'RE NOT HUGE WAVES.

SO EITHER WE HAVE A REALLY,

REALLY SMALL LOCH NESS MONSTER,

OR IT'S A FAKE.

FOR DECADES,

MONSTER HUNTERS LOOKED AT THE

CROPPED PHOTO AND BELIEVED THEY

SAW A MASSIVE CREATURE.

WHY IS IT SO EASY FOR US TO LOSE

PERSPECTIVE?

JEFF WISE HAS SIMPLE TEST THAT

MIGHT HELP YOU SIZE UP THE

SITUATION.

I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU A

PICTURE.

AND I JUST WANT YOU TO TELL ME

IF YOU NOTICE A DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN THE TWO MONSTERS.

YEAH, THE ONE IN THE BACK

LOOKS LARGER THAN THE ONE IN THE

FRONT.

YOU GOT THE SMALLER ONE

THERE, AND THE OTHER GUY IS

HOVERING OVER HIM, CHASING HIM

DOWN A TUNNEL.

HOW MUCH BIGGER IS THE ONE IN

BACK THAN THE ONE IN THE FRONT?

AT LEAST TWICE AS BIG.

WHAT'S YOUR TAKE?

DO YOU SEE ANY DIFFERENCE?

LET'S SEE WHAT JEFF'S GOT UP HIS

SLEEVE.

I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO TAKE

THIS AND MATCH IT UP WITH THE

ONE YOU THINK IT MATCHES.

THIS IS THE BIGGER ONE.

BUT IT'S GONNA MATCH UP WITH

BOTH.

(laughs)

WOW.

COMPARE IT TO THE DIFFERENT

MONSTERS.

SO THAT IS THE BIG MONSTER.

YEAH.

OKAY, SO THAT'S GOING TO BE

BIGGER THAN THE SMALLER MONSTER.

YEAH.

OKAY, GO AHEAD AND PUT IT ON

THE SMALLER MONSTER.

OKAY.

(laughs)

BELIEVE IT OR NOT,

THE MONSTERS ARE EXACTLY THE

SAME SIZE.

THIS IS A CLASSIC OPTICAL

ILLUSION, BUT MORE ACCURATELY,

IT'S A VISUAL ILLUSION BECAUSE

IT'S NOT YOUR EYES THAT ARE

MAKING THE MISTAKE.

IT'S YOUR BRAIN.

OKAY, SO NOW THAT YOU KNOW

THAT THEY'RE THE SAME SIZE.

WHEN YOU SEE IT, DOES IT STILL

LOOK BIGGER?

YEAH.

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THAT

IMAGE THAT'S DECEIVING MY EYE.

IT JUST LOOKS LARGER.

I... UH.

CAN I TRY THAT ONE MORE TIME?

SURE.

STILL SEEMED DIFFERENT.

THAT'S WEIRD.

THAT'S JUST REALLY WEIRD.

MAKES ME WONDER WHAT ELSE DO

I GET WRONG, I GUESS IN SIZE?

WHEN IT COMES TO

SIZE, PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING.

THIS OPTICAL ILLUSION TAKES

ADVANTAGE OF THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN THE WORLD THAT WE CREATE

IN OUR MINDS AND THE ONE THAT WE

PERCEIVE WITH OUR SENSES.

HOW YOUR BRAIN

SIZES UP AN OBJECT DEPENDS

ENTIRELY ON THE PERSPECTIVE YOU

SEE IT IN.

BECAUSE OF THE DIMENSIONS OF THE

TUNNEL, THE BRAIN PERCEIVES THE

TOP MONSTER AS BIGGER,

REGARDLESS OF THE REALITY.

FOR YOUR BRAIN, TRUTH IS ALL

RELATIVE, AND THAT'S BECAUSE

THE BRAIN INTERPRETS SIZE BASED

ON THE CONTEXT IN WHICH IT'S

PRESENTED.

THE EXPERIMENT SHOWS THAT

SEEING ISN'T NECESSARILY

BELIEVING.

WITH THE SURGEON'S

PHOTO, THE RIPPLES OF THE WATER

ALSO ESTABLISH A CERTAIN

PERSPECTIVE SURROUNDING THE

CREATURE, NUDGING THE BRAIN TO

BELIEVE IT IS LARGER THAN IT

ACTUALLY IS, AND IN THE PROCESS,

CREATING A LEGEND OF EPIC

PROPORTIONS.

(creature roars and snarls)

DETERMINING HOW BIG AND HOW

CLOSE SOMETHING IS OFTEN

CONFOUNDS OUR BLEEPED-UP BRAIN.

HUMANS ARE NOT VERY GOOD AT

JUDGING SIZE UNLESS THEY HAVE

SCALE.

IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.

YOU KNOW, WE SEE SOMETHING IN

THE SKY.

HOW BIG IS IT?

WHO KNOWS?

THIS IS WHY PEOPLE SEE LIGHTS

IN THE SKY LIKE UFOS.

IT COULD BE ANYTHING.

PERSPECTIVE IS

CRITICAL TO UNCOVERING THE

TRUTH, BUT IN THE CASE OF

SURGEON'S PHOTO, ALL THE

RELATIVE FACTS WERE NOT

PRESENTED UP FRONT.

AFTER SEEING THE UNCROPPED

PICTURE, MANY PEOPLE WERE

CONVINCED THAT THE IMAGE AND

NESSIE HERSELF WERE A HOAX.

BUT EVEN THOSE THAT BELIEVE THE

LEGENDRY PHOTO IS A FAKE CONCEDE

THAT IT DOESN'T DISPROVE

NESSIE'S EXISTENCE.

(creature roars)

THIS DOESN'T MEAN THE LOCH

NESS MONSTER DOESN'T EXIST.

IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT OTHER

PHOTOS MAY NOT BE REAL.

WHETHER THE PHOTO

IS GENUINE OR NOT, ONE THING IS

CLEAR--WHEN IT COMES TO KNOWING

WHAT'S REAL AND WHAT'S NOT, TO

OUR BRAINS, IT'S ALL RELATIVE.

THE HUMAN BRAIN

SOMETIMES PERCEIVES THE WORLD IN

NARROW WAYS.

WOW.

WE'VE SEEN HOW A

SIMPLE PERSPECTIVE ILLUSION

LAUNCHED THE LOCH NESS MONSTER

ONTO THE WORLD STAGE.

NOW WE ARE GOING A STEP FURTHER

TO SEE HOW THE BRAIN'S FIXATION

ON DETAILS CAN BLIND US TO THE

BIGGER PICTURE AND CONFUSE WHAT

IS REAL AND WHAT IS FAKE.

OKAY, THAT LOOKS GOOD, NEIL.

MORE THAN ANYONE,

MAGICIANS MANIPULATE THE LINE

BETWEEN FACT AND FICTION.

THEIR ART PLAYS UPON THE FLAWS

THAT EXIST IN OUR MINDS.

A MAGICIAN CAN GET BETWEEN

REALITY AND YOUR PERCEPTION OF

REALITY.

FROM SUBTLE SLIGHT

OF HAND TO GRAND ILLUSIONS,

EVERY MAGIC TRICK TAKES

ADVANTAGE OF SIMPLE DEFICIENCIES

IN HOW OUR BRAINS WORK.

THE KEY TO MAGIC ISN'T IN THE

HAND.

IT'S IN OUR BLEEPED-UP BRAIN.

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO

EKATERINA'S RING.

HOW DOES SHE MAKE THE RING

DISAPPEAR FROM ONE HAND AND HAVE

IT REAPPEAR ON THE OTHER?

BUT WATCH THE RING, OKAY?

IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT AT ALL

TIMES, YOU'RE WATCHING THE RING.

DISTRACTION.

MAGIC CAN STUPEFY OUR BRAIN INTO

BELIEVING THE IMPOSSIBLE,

BECAUSE WHEN WE FOCUS ON THE

DETAILS, WE MISS THE BIGGER

PICTURE.

DESPITE LOGIC, SEEING IS

BELIEVING.

ALL OF THESE ILLUSIONS

DEMONSTRATE HOW IRRATIONAL WE

ARE.

WE DON'T TEST OUR IDEAS ABOUT

THE WORLD.

WE JUST SIMPLY ACCEPT THEM.

AND SO WHETHER IT'S A MAGIC

TRICK OR SOMETHING PARANORMAL

OR YOU BELIEVE IN SOME KIND OF

CONSPIRACY THEORY, TIME AND

AGAIN YOU'RE PUTTING 2 AND 2

TOGETHER, AND YOU'RE GETTING 5.

ON THE FINGER.

(crowd clapping)

TO OUR BRAINS,

TRUTH IS VISUAL.

WE ARE WIRED TO BELIEVE WHAT WE

SEE.

BUT WHEN PEOPLE OBSERVE THINGS

THAT DEFY VISUAL TRUTH, WE BEGIN

TO SUSPECT SOMETHING ISN'T

RIGHT, AND SOMETIMES THIS

INCLUDES THE BIGGEST STORIES IN

HUMAN HISTORY.

IN FACT, A RECENT NATIONAL POLL

INDICATED THAT OVER 16 MILLION

AMERICANS BELIEVE THE MOON

LANDING WAS STAGED.

TO FIND OUT WHAT INSTIGATED THIS

BELIEF, WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO

THE BEGINNING.

FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE.

LIFT-OFF.

THE MOON LANDING WAS THE BEST

AND MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY

ADVANCED ACHIEVEMENT IN HUMAN

HISTORY.

JULY 20, 1969--

PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD TURN ON

THEIR TV SETS TO WATCH MANKIND'S

GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT UNFOLD

LIVE.

THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR

MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.

EVERYBODY WAS WATCHING,

EVERYBODY WAS ENTHUSIASTIC,

EVERYONE WAS LIKE, "OH, MY GOD,

WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING THIS."

THE WHOLE WORLD ERUPTED IN JUST

DISBELIEF AND AMAZEMENT.

BUT FOR SOME

PEOPLE, THIS ACHIEVEMENT WAS TOO

ASTONISHING TO BELIEVE.

SKEPTICS BELIEVE THE MOON

LANDING FILMS HAD ACTUALLY BEEN

SHOT IN HOLLYWOOD.

THEY HAD THIS IDEA THAT ALL

THE THINGS WE SAW WERE ACTUALLY

STAGED AND PART OF A FILM THAT

WAS WRITTEN BY ARTHUR C. CLARK

AND DIRECTED BY STANLEY KUBRICK.

AND ONE OF THE MOST

ICONIC MOON LANDING IMAGES IS A

KEY A PIECE OF EVIDENCE FOR

SKEPTICS...

THE AMERICAN FLAG.

IT'S IN THE PHOTOS, IN THE

VIDEOS.

YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A FLAG, AND

IT'S FLAPPING IN THE WIND, OR

APPEARS TO BE FLAPPING IN THE

WIND, AND THEY'RE LIKE, "HOLD

ON, HOLD THE PHONE.

THERE'S NO WIND."

IN THIS ICONIC

IMAGE, DOES IT LOOK LIKE THE

FLAG IS FLAPPING IN THE WIND?

WITHOUT AN ATMOSPHERE, WIND IS

NON-EXISTENT ON THE MOON.

AND YET, THE FLAG APPEARS TO

WAVE.

THE QUESTION IS, WELL, HOW IS

THIS POSSIBLE?

IT SHOULDN'T BE

POSSIBLE.

IN THE VACUUM OF SPACE, THE FLAG

SHOULD SIMPLY DROOP.

ANOTHER PIECE OF EVIDENCE

OFFERED WAS THAT THE ASTRONAUTS

DIDN'T SEE STARS WHEN THEY WERE

THERE.

AND ALSO IN PHOTOGRAPHS, YOU

CAN'T SEE STARS.

IN THESE

PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN ON THE MOON,

DO YOU SEE ANY STARS?

AND YET, THEY WERE TAKEN IN

SPACE.

SO THIS WAS MEANT TO BE

TAKEN, AS, OH, IT MUST HAVE

BEEN SHOT ON A SOUND STAGE

INSTEAD OF AT THE MOON.

THERE IS AN ENDLESS

LIST OF DISCREPANCIES THAT

CONSPIRACY THEORIST CLING TO,

AND IT'S EASY TO SEE THEIR

POINT.

BUT IN THIS CASE, SEEING IS NOT

BELIEVING.

THE EXPERIMENT WE ARE ABOUT TO

DO WILL SHOW YOU HOW THE INNER

WORKINGS OF THE BRAIN CAN

SOMETIMES BLIND YOU TO THE FULL

PICTURE.

I WANT TO SHOW YOU A CLASSIC

OF MAGIC.

IT'S CALLED SPOON BENDING.

IT'S METAL SPOONS.

I WANT YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT ONE

OF THEM.

I WANT YOU TO WATCH REALLY

CLOSELY BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO

DO THIS TOGETHER USING THE POWER

OF OUR MINDS, OKAY?

WATCH CLOSELY.

JUST REALLY CONCENTRATE WITH ME,

OKAY?

LOOK AT THEIR EYES.

YOU CAN FEEL THEM WATCHING.

WHAT THEY'RE UNCONSCIOUSLY DOING

IS TRYING TO VISUALIZE WHAT'S

HAPPENING BEHIND EKATERINA'S

HAND.

IT'S BENDING.

JUST THE POWER OF OUR MINDS,

RIGHT?

THAT'S COOL.

SEEING EKATERINA

BEND THE SPOON MAKES THIS TRICK

OF MIND OVER MATTER SEEM

POSSIBLE EVEN THOUGH LOGIC MIGHT

TELL YOU OTHERWISE.

CAN YOU MAKE SURE THIS IS

BENT?

OH, YEAH.

TAKE IT AND COMPARE IT TO THE

OTHER SPOON.

HOW DID YOU DO THAT?

THE BRAIN TAKES THE

PIECES OF VISUAL INFORMATION IT

HAS AND STITCHES IT INTO A FULL

PICTURE, AN IMAGE OF A SINGLE

BENDING SPOON.

THIS VISUAL STITCHING IS CALLED

AMODAL PERCEPTION.

WHEN WE CAN'T PHYSICALLY SEE

EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON, OUR

BRAINS FILL IN THE GAPS WITH

FLAWED ASSUMPTIONS.

FROM THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE,

THIS LOOKS AMAZING.

BUT HERE IS MY ANGLE.

I HAVE HERE A LITTLE EXTRA STEM

THAT I KINDA OF HOLD TOGETHER

WITH AN ALREADY PRE-BENT SPOON.

AND I USE MY OTHER FINGERS AS

COVER-UP.

WITH THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE, YOU

CAN MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE IN

ANYTHING.

THAT'S BECAUSE OUR

BRAIN TENDS TO TAKE AS FACT THE

VISUAL EVIDENCE OFFERED BY OUR

SENSES, BEFORE OUR MORE RATIONAL

INTELLECT CAN KICK IN.

WE BELIEVE THAT WHAT WE SEE IS

AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF

THE WORLD, BECAUSE TO OUR

BRAINS, TRUTH IS VISUAL.

SO WHEN CONFRONTED WITH

COMPELLING VISUAL SIGNS THAT THE

MOON LANDING WAS FAKED, IT'S

EASY TO SEE WHY SKEPTICS FEEL

THE WOOL HAS BEEN PULLED OVER

THEIR EYES.

BUT JUST LIKE MAGIC, WE

SHOULDN'T ALWAYS ACCEPT WHAT WE

SEE SO LITERALLY.

FOR ALL THE PIECES OF

EVIDENCE THAT THE CONSPIRACY

THEORISTS PRESENT, THERE'S A

SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION.

THERE'S ACTUALLY A STICK THAT'S

HOLDING UP THE FLAG, AND SO EVEN

THOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S BEING

CARRIED IN THE WIND, IT'S BEING

HELD UP BY AN INTERNAL

STRUCTURE.

THIS INTERNAL

STRUCTURE IS A HORIZONTAL ROD

FASTENED TO THE TOP OF THE FLAG,

WHICH HOLDS IT UPRIGHT LIKE A

CURTAIN TO GIVE IT THE VISUAL

APPEARANCE OF FLAPPING IN THE

WIND.

THINK ABOUT IT--IF YOU'RE

NASA AND YOU WANT TO DO

SOMETHING AS SYMBOLIC AS

PLANTING AN AMERICAN FLAG ON THE

MOON, DO YOU WANT IT TO SIT

THERE AND HANG LIMPLY, LIKE,

JUST DRIPPING DOWN SO YOU CAN'T

SEE IT, OR DO YOU WANT IT TO

ACTUALLY BE PATRIOTIC AND LOOK

LIKE SOMETHING?

THERE'S ALSO A

LOGICAL REASON WHY WE DON'T SEE

ANY STARS IN THE MOON LANDING

PHOTOS.

THERE'S GOOD REASONS WHY THE

ASTRONAUTS WOULDN'T SEE STARS

IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS, AND THAT'S

BECAUSE THEY WERE BASICALLY

LOOKING DURING THE DAYTIME.

THEY WEREN'T LOOKING AT NIGHT.

IT'S THE SAME REASON WE CAN'T

SEE STARS IN THE DAYTIME WHEN

YOU'RE ON EARTH.

WE LANDED ON THE MOON.

IT WAS NOT A HOAX.

FIXATING ON THE

DETAILS CAN BLIND US TO THE

FULL-PICTURE PERSPECTIVE,

ESPECIALLY WHEN WE GET THOSE

DETAILS WRONG.

BUT WE CONTINUE TO FALL VICTIM

TO THESE ILLUSIONS BECAUSE ONCE

YOUR BRAIN VISUALLY DETERMINES

SOMETHING TO BE FACT OR FICTION,

IT'S INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO

CHANGE YOUR THINKING.

BECAUSE OF THE WAY OUR BRAINS

ARE ENGINEERED, WE CAN BE BLIND

TO ANY EVIDENCE THAT GOES

AGAINST WHAT WE ALREADY BELIEVE.

SO WHEN YOU ARE

TRYING TO DETERMINE FACT FROM

FICTION, IT'S BEST TO GO IN WITH

AN OPEN MIND.

WATCH CLOSELY.

JUST REALLY CONCENTRATE WITH ME,

OKAY?

WHEN SEEING IS

BELIEVING, WE CAN BE LED TO

BELIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE.

HOW DID YOU DO THAT?

BUT SOMETIMES YOUR

BRAIN DOES SOMETHING EVEN MORE

DRAMATIC--IT SEES THINGS THAT

AREN'T EVEN THERE.

AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, ONE

INSTANCE OF SEEING THE IMAGINED

RESULTED IN SOME PEOPLE THINKING

THERE WERE LITTLE GREEN MEN ON

MARS.

THE LITTLE ILLUSIONS IN OUR

BRAINS CAN LEAD TO SOME VERY

BIZARRE EXPLANATIONS.

FOR CENTURIES, ALIENS IN SCI-FI

NOVELS AND FILMS ALWAYS SEEMED

TO COME FROM THE PLANET MARS.

BUT WHY?

IT ALL DATES BACK TO AN

ITALIAN ASTRONOMER NAMED

GIOVANNI SCHIAPARELLI FROM THE

1800s.

GIOVANNI SCHIAPARELLI WAS ONE OF

THE MOST NOTED ASTRONOMERS IN

THE KINGDOM OF ITALY.

BUT WHAT HE WAS MOST FAMOUS FOR

WERE HIS OBSERVATIONS OF MARS.

IN 1877,

SCHIAPARELLI TURNED A STATE-OF-

THE-ART TELESCOPE ON MARS.

HE SAW AN INCREDIBLE PLANET

WITH EARTH-LIKE FEATURES.

SCHIAPARELLI SAW THAT PART OF

MARS WAS DARKER THAN THE REST.

AND SCHIAPARELLI DEDUCED THAT

THAT DARK AREA MUST BE AN OCEAN.

FINDING BODIES OF

WATER ON ANOTHER PLANET WAS

INCREDIBLE ENOUGH, BUT

SCHIAPARELLI FOUND EVIDENCE FOR

SOMETHING EVEN MORE ASTONISHING.

WHEN HE LOOKED THROUGH THE

EYEPIECE OF HIS TELESCOPE, WHAT

SCHIAPARELLI SAW WERE LITTLE

DARK LINES THAT SEEMED TO

CONNECT THESE OTHER DARK AREAS.

WHAT WERE THEY?

HE CONCLUDED THAT THEY MUST BE

CANALS CARRYING WATER.

OTHER ASTRONOMERS

ACROSS THE WORLD CONFIRMED

SCHIAPARELLI'S CLAIMS THAT THE

SURFACE OF MARS WAS DOTTED WITH

CANALS TRANSPORTING WATER.

THIS LED PEOPLE TO COME TO ONE

SIGNIFICANT CONCLUSION...

SOME ADVANCED CIVILIZATION

MUST HAVE MADE THEM.

THIS PROPOSITION

FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED OUR VIEW

OF THE UNIVERSE.

THIS CREATED THIS COMMON

PERCEPTION THAT THERE MUST BE

LITTLE GREEN MEN ON MARS.

THE PUBLIC ATE IT UP.

OF COURSE, THESE

DAYS, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE NO

TINY GREEN MEN ON MARS.

WHY DID SCHIAPARELLI SEE CANALS

OF WATER LINING THIS PLANET WHEN

THERE WERE NONE?

AND WHY DID HIS MISPERCEPTIONS

CAUSE SUCH A DRAMATIC STIR?

JEFF WISE HAS AN ILLUSION THAT

JUST MIGHT ANSWER THAT.

YOU SEE, SCHIAPARELLI ISN'T THE

ONLY PERSON WHO SEES THINGS THAT

AREN'T THERE.

WE ALL DO.

SO I'M GOING TO TURN THIS

AROUND.

I JUST WANT YOU TO TELL ME WHAT

YOU SEE.

DESCRIBE WHAT YOU

SEE IN THIS IMAGE.

LET'S SEE WHAT OTHERS PERCEIVE.

THE LINES LOOK--LOOK LIKE

THEY'RE WARPED IN.

I FEEL LIKE YOUR EYE IS DRAWN

TO THE CENTER.

YEAH.

LOOKS LIKE IT'S BECOMING VERY

CONCAVE, LIKE, SUCKING ME IN.

DOES IT LOOK LIKE IT'S MADE

OUT OF STRAIGHT LINES OR WARPED

LINES?

WARPED LINES.

LIKE, ESPECIALLY THE ONES IN THE

CENTER SEEM TO BE GOING THIS

WAY.

BUT APPEARANCES CAN

BE DECEIVING.

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THAT THIS

WHOLE THING WAS MADE ENTIRELY

OUT OF STRAIGHT LINES?

IT DOES NOT LOOK STRAIGHT AT

ALL.

OKAY, WELL, CHECK THIS OUT.

NOW WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

IT'S--PERFECTLY STRAIGHT

LINES.

THAT'S OBVIOUSLY STRAIGHT.

BUT THERE'S YET

ANOTHER TWIST.

OKAY, NOW THAT YOU KNOW THESE

ARE PERFECTLY STRAIGHT LINES,

I'M GOING TO PUT THIS BACK.

DO THE LINES STILL LOOK

STRAIGHT?

IT STILL LOOKS WARPED.

I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S

DOING THAT, BECAUSE THE LINES

ARE STRAIGHT, BUT IT'S STILL

WARPED.

IT'S AMAZING.

SO WHAT THIS SHOWS US IS THAT

PATTERNS OF SHAPES AND LINES CAN

POWERFULLY WARP OUR PERCEPTIONS.

THAT'S PRETTY CRAZY.

AND IT'S THE SAME

VISUAL ILLUSION THAT

SCHIAPARELLI ENCOUNTERED AND

WHY HE THOUGHT THERE WERE CANALS

BUILT BY A MARTIAN CIVILIZATION

WHERE NONE ACTUALLY EXISTED.

WHEN PROCESSED IN OUR BRAINS,

SIMPLE LINES AND PATTERNS CAN

CREATE ILLUSIONS.

AND WHEN WE SEE THESE ILLUSIONS

IN A SPECIFIC CONTEXT, LIKE ON

THE SURFACE OF MARS, WE CAN

CREATE SOME TRULY OUT-OF-THIS-

WORLD EXPLANATIONS.

THIS SHOWS SOME OF THE FLAWS

IN OUR BRAIN'S PROCESSING.

BUT THE IDEA OF ADVANCED

MARTIAN CIVILIZATION IS STILL

WITH US TODAY.

YOU STILL SEE IT IN BOOKS AND

MOVIES AND OTHER KINDS OF

ENTERTAINMENT.

IT'S VERY ATTRACTIVE TO US.

NEXT TIME YOU THINK

WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS FACT,

YOU'D BETTER DOUBLE-CHECK.

THE WORLD

SURROUNDING US IS MERELY A

CREATION OF OUR BLEEPED-UP

BRAIN.

BUT IF WE CAN'T TRUST WHAT WE

SEE, HOW DO WE DETERMINE FACT

FROM FICTION?

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS TELEVISION

MONITOR.

DO YOU SEE A SHAPE BEHIND THESE

FOUR POST-IT NOTES?

A SQUARE, PERHAPS?

THERE'S ACTUALLY NO SQUARE ON

THE MONITOR.

JUST FOUR DISCONNECTED LINES.

AND AS FOR THAT SQUARE YOU THINK

YOU SAW - YOUR BRAIN FABRICATED

IT.

IT'S PART OF THE HUMAN

EXPERIENCE TO FIND LINES AND

PATTERNS AND ORDER IN PLACES

WHERE IT MAY NOT ACTUALLY EXIST

ON ITS OWN.

ILLUSIONS LIKE THIS

MAKE ONE FACT CLEAR--WE CAN'T

ALWAYS TRUST OUR OWN SENSES OR

OUR OWN COMMON SENSE.

AND KNOWING WHAT AND WHO TO

TRUST CAN BE DIFFICULT.

TRUST ME.

WE ARE ABOUT TO

SHOW YOU HOW ANY OF US CAN FALL

FOR COMPLETE FICTION.

BUT FIRST, TO PROVE OUR POINT,

WE'LL SHOW YOU HOW IT HAPPENED

TO AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT.

TODAY, WE ALL KNOW THE EARTH IS

FILLED FROM POLE TO POLE WITH

ROCK AND MAGMA.

BUT SOME POWERFUL HISTORICAL

FIGURES, INCLUDING A U.S.

PRESIDENT, WERE CONVINCED THAT

THIS SOLID FACT WAS FULL OF HOT

AIR.

PRESIDENT JOHN QUINCY ADAMS,

ONE OF OUR BEST DIPLOMATS, ONE

OF THE SHREWDEST POLITICIANS

WE'VE EVER SEEN, BELIEVED THAT

THE EARTH WAS HOLLOW.

IT WAS CRAZY BECAUSE EVERYONE

KNEW THAT THE EARTH WAS SOLID.

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT IN 1825, A

FULL CENTURY AFTER THE

SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION.

AND ADAMS DIDN'T JUST BELIEVE

THE EARTH WAS HOLLOW.

HE THOUGHT THE INNER EARTH WAS

INHABITED.

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS WAS SO

CONVINCED THAT HE GREEN-LIT AND

FUNDED, WITH TAXPAYER MONEY, AN

EXPEDITION FOR SOMEONE TO GO TO

THE CENTER OF THE EARTH AND MEET

THE MOLE PEOPLE.

AND WHAT'S ASTOUNDING IS THAT'S

ACTUALLY TRUE.

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS BELIEVED THAT

THERE WERE MOLE PEOPLE, WANTED

TO TRADE WITH THEM.

BUT AS COMPELLING

AS THE MOLE PEOPLE MIGHT BE, HOW

COULD A STANDING PRESIDENT HOLD

SUCH A BIZARRE BELIEF?

PRESIDENT ADAMS BELIEVED THE

EARTH WAS HOLLOW BECAUSE OF ONE

MAN--JOHN CLEVES SYMMES JR.

SYMMES JR. WAS A VERY DECORATED

CAPTAIN FROM THE WAR OF 1812.

HE'S A WAR HERO.

BUT HIS VALOR IN

WAR WASN'T HIS ONLY CONTRIBUTION

TO SOCIETY.

AFTER THE WAR, SYMMES TRAVELED

THE COUNTRY PROMOTING THE IDEA

THAT THE EARTH WAS HOLLOW.

AND BECAUSE OF HIS

ACCOMPLISHMENTS, CHARM, AND GOOD

LOOKS, SYMMES WAS ABLE TO

ESTABLISH A LOYAL BAND OF

FOLLOWERS.

HE HAD NO SCIENCE TO BACK

HIMSELF UP, BUT HE HAD A LOT OF

PASSION.

PRESIDENT ADAMS ABSOLUTELY

SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER.

THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR HIS

FOOLISHNESS.

(laughs)

WHAT MADE JOHN

CLEVES SYMMES SO CONVINCING THAT

HE COULD MAKE AN AMERICAN

PRESIDENT BELIEVE ABSOLUTE

NONSENSE?

THE ANSWER IS LOCKED IN YOUR

BLEEPED-UP BRAIN AND JUST HOW IT

DECIDES WHO AND WHAT TO TRUST.

PAY ATTENTION.

RICHARD WISEMAN HAS ANOTHER

EXPERIMENT FOR YOU THAT MIGHT

SHED SOME LIGHT ON THIS STORY.

HE'S ASKING PARTICIPANTS, AND

YOU, TO JUDGE WHO'S THE MOST

TRUSTWORTHY BETWEEN TWO MALE

SUBJECTS, BOTH SPEAKING IN A

MONOTONE VOICE.

EACH OF THEM ARE GOING TO SAY

ONE SENTENCE TO YOU, OKAY?

SO WE'RE GOING TO START WITH

PERSON "A."

I'M OFFERING YOU A VERY GOOD

DEAL.

I WOULDN'T OFFER THIS DEAL TO

JUST ANYONE.

TRUST ME.

AND PERSON "B."

I'M OFFERING YOU A VERY GOOD

DEAL.

I WOULDN'T OFFER THIS DEAL TO

JUST ANYONE.

TRUST ME.

TAKE A MOMENT TO

THINK.

WHO DID YOU FIND TO BE MORE

TRUSTWORTHY, "A" OR "B"?

LET'S SEE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE

THINK.

IF YOU'RE GOING TO TRUST ONE

OF THOSE TWO GUYS, WHICH WOULD

YOU GO WITH?

I'D SAY THE ONE ON THE RIGHT.

OKAY, PERSON "B."

YEAH, HE JUST LOOKS--

I DON'T KNOW, HE LOOKS LIKE I

CAN TRUST HIM, AND HE JUST--

HE LOOKED HONEST.

YOU WOULD GO WITH PERSON...

"B."

PERSON "B."

I'D HAVE TO GO WITH "A."

CAN I SAY NEITHER?

I WOULD DEFINITELY GO WITH

"B."

EXCELLENT.

IN THIS TEST, AN

OVERWHELMING 70% OF PARTICIPANTS

CHOSE PERSON "B."

BUT WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE TRUST

PERSON "B" WITHOUT ANY EVIDENCE

AT ALL OF HIS ACTUAL

TRUSTWORTHINESS?

HE JUST SEEMED MORE CONFIDENT

IN WHAT HE WAS SAYING.

BECAUSE HE SEEMED MORE

PERSONABLE.

YOU KNOW, TAN AUSTRALIAN,

LIKE, "HEY."

THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE

EYES, MORE WELCOMING, MORE OPEN,

SOME KIND OF CONNECTION.

OKAY.

HONESTLY? (laughs)

BE HONEST.

HE'S ATTRACTIVE.

IT JUST CAME TO ME NATURALLY.

IT WAS MY FIRST INSTINCT.

DEFINITELY INTUITIVE.

I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I HAD TO

THINK VERY MUCH ABOUT IT.

I JUST KNEW.

AND IS THAT A REASONABLE

THING TO DO?

NO.

SO IN EVERYDAY LIFE, DO YOU

THINK YOU TEND TO TRUST PEOPLE

THAT ARE BETTER-LOOKING?

PROBABLY, YES.

STRANGELY AND

ILLOGICALLY, PEOPLE CONNECT

ATTRACTIVENESS WITH

TRUSTWORTHINESS.

THIS IRRATIONAL PHENOMENON IS

KNOWN AS THE "HALO EFFECT."

THE HALO EFFECT IS THE NOTION

THAT POSITIVE TRAITS CLUSTER

TOGETHER.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

IT MEANS THAT IF WE SEE SOMEBODY

WHO'S VERY GOOD-LOOKING,

WE ALSO ASSUME THEY'RE A FAIRLY

NICE PERSON.

THEY'RE A GIVING PERSON.

THEY'RE A TRUSTWORTHY PERSON.

WELL, THERE'S NO EVIDENCE FOR

THIS, BUT WE SIMPLY USE IT AS A

KIND OF SHORTHAND.

AND SO IF YOU'RE A CONMAN OR

YOU'RE OUT TO--TO TELL THE WORLD

SOMETHING THAT SIMPLY ISN'T

TRUE, BEING ATTRACTIVE IS A REAL

ADVANTAGE.

SINCE THE DAWN OF

TIME, OUR BRAINS HAVE PUT US

UNDER THE SPELL OF ATTRACTIVE,

CONFIDENT PEOPLE.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE HALO

EFFECT IS THAT IT ALLOWS YOU TO

BE EXPLOITED.

THE HALO EFFECT IS

WHY CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS WORK.

A GOOD-LOOKING ACTOR CAN INSPIRE

OUR SENSE OF TRUST.

IT ALSO BLEEDS OVER TO THE REST

OF US.

GOOD-LOOKING PEOPLE EARN 3 TO 4%

MORE THAN LESS-ATTRACTIVE

WORKERS.

THAT'S AN AVERAGE OF $230,000

ACROSS A LIFETIME.

LIKEWISE, PERHAPS JOHN CLEVES

SYMMES SEEMED BELIEVABLE TO

PRESIDENT ADAMS NOT BECAUSE HIS

THEORIES MADE SENSE BUT BECAUSE

HE WAS A RESPECTED AND

ATTRACTIVE WAR HERO.

ADAMS BELIEVING SYMME'S WAS

ABSOLUTELY A CASE OF SOMEONE

JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER

INSTEAD OF ITS CONTENT.

ADAMS SAW A MAN WHO WAS

CONFIDENT AND PASSIONATE AND

ENERGETIC AND A MAN THAT HE

WANTED TO BELIEVE IN.

BUT MERCIFULLY FOR

AMERICAN TAXPAYERS, SYMMES'

INSANE JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF

THE EARTH NEVER HAPPENED BUT NOT

BECAUSE COMMON SENSE PREVAILED.

THE NEXT PRESIDENT, ANDREW

JACKSON, SHUT THE PROJECT DOWN.

AND HE SAYS, "THIS IS CRAZY.

I'M NOT GONNA FUND THIS

EXPEDITION.

THE EARTH ISN'T HOLLOW.

IT'S FLAT."

WHICH IS ALSO CRAZY.

EVERYONE ON EARTH

IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE HALO

EFFECT.

THIS STORY JUST PROVES THAT

IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH CONFIDENCE,

YOU CAN CONVINCE ANYONE OF JUST

ABOUT ANYTHING, EVEN THE

PRESIDENT.

THE IMPORTANT LESSON TO TAKE

AWAY IS NOT TO BELIEVE

EVERYTHING YOU HEAR.

TRUST ME.

WITHOUT THE FULL-

PICTURE PERSPECTIVE, THE FACTS

ABOUT THE LOCH NESS MONSTER WERE

HIDDEN.

AND DURING EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS

LIKE THE MOON LANDING, OUR

BRAINS CAN CREATE CONSPIRACIES

EVEN WHEN THE FACTS ARE CLEAR.

THE WAY THE BRAIN INTERPRETS

FACT FROM FICTION IS INHERENTLY

FLAWED.

WE DON'T LIVE IN THE REAL

WORLD.

WHAT WE ACTUALLY LIVE IN IS A

REPRESENTATION OF THE WORLD

THAT'S CREATED FOR US

EFFORTLESSLY AND AUTOMATICALLY

BY OUR SUBCONSCIOUS BRAINS.

LIKE MANY EFFICIENT

MACHINES, YOUR BRAIN IS DESIGNED

TO TAKE THE PATH OF LEAST

RESISTANCE.

OUR BRAINS ARE PROGRAMMED TO

QUICKLY EVALUATE, CHECK, AND

CONFIRM THE SOURCE OF INCOMING

INFORMATION.

AND IF WE DECIDE THE SOURCE IS

CREDIBLE, WE WILL BELIEVE ALMOST

ANYTHING WE HEAR.

THIS PREDISPOSITION TO BELIEVE

WHAT WE HEAR LED SUSPECTED

WITCHES TO THEIR VIOLENT DEATHS

IN SALEM AND CONNED THE WORLD

WITH FAKE FOOTAGE OF AN ALIEN

AUTOPSY.

SOMETIMES ALL YOU NEED TO CON

THE BRAIN IS JUST A GOOD OLD-

FASHIONED STORY.

AND IF THE TRICK IS DONE RIGHT,

YOU CAN LITERALLY UNLEASH MASS

HYSTERIA.

(radio stations tuning)

LONG BEFORE WE COULD WATCH TV,

DOWNLOAD VIDEOS ON THE INTERNET,

OR EVEN GOOGLE, RADIO WAS THE

SOLE MEDIUM FOR BROADCASTING

NEWS TO THE PUBLIC.

AND IN 1938, ONE PIECE OF "NEWS"

FAMOUSLY CAUSED WIDESPREAD

PANIC.

THERE WERE LIVE NEWS REPORTS

COMING IN FROM--FROM ALL OVER

THE AREA.

...REPORTS THREE MARTIAN

MACHINES VISIBLE ABOVE TREETOPS.

THE MARTIANS INVADE EARTH,

THEY HAVE THESE BIG ALIEN CRAFT,

THEY COME DOWN AND ARE

TERRORIZING PEOPLE.

YOU KNOW, PANIC ENSUES.

THE MONSTERS, THE MONSTERS

ARE GOING TO KILL US!

WHAT MONSTERS?

THIS MASS HYSTERIA

WAS UNLEASHED BY NONE OTHER

THAN THE ICONIC "WAR OF THE

WORLDS," ORCHESTRATED BY

STORYTELLING MASTER ORSON

WELLES.

BY MYTHICAL MONSTERS...

MANY LISTENERS WHO HEARD THE

RADIO BROADCAST MISTOOK IT FOR

AN ACTUAL REAL NEWS BULLETIN.

INITIAL REPORTS CLAIM KILLING

AT LEAST 49 CIVILIANS.

IT'S A POWERFUL DEVICE TO

USE FICTION AS FACT.

(distant explosions, sirens

wailing)

PEOPLE IN THE

UNITED STATES WERE OUTRAGED BY

THIS MOCKUMENTARY OF A MARTIAN

INVASION.

SOME EVEN SUED THE BROADCASTERS

FOR MENTAL ANGUISH AND PERSONAL

INJURY.

BUT DID YOU KNOW THIS INFAMOUS

RADIO PLAY DUPED PEOPLE NOT JUST

ONCE BUT MULTIPLE TIMES?

INCREDIBLY, ELSEWHERE IN THE

WORLD, THIS STORY GALVANIZED A

NATION'S MILITARY TO DEFEND

AGAINST ALIEN INVASION.

IN 1949, IN QUITO, ECUADOR,

THERE WAS A RADIO PLAY THAT

BASICALLY WAS A VERSION OF "THE

WAR OF THE WORLDS" STORY.

AND ONCE AGAIN, THE SAME

TECHNIQUES WERE USED.

IT WAS FRAMED AS A LIVE NEWS

EVENT.

(reporter speaking in Spanish)

AND THE PUBLIC

COULD NOT IGNORE THE FRIGHTENING

AND REALISTIC DETAILS OF THIS

BROADCAST.

PEOPLE IN QUITO REALLY

THOUGHT THAT THEY WERE BEING

UNDER ATTACK.

A FAKE NEWS REPORTER SAID THAT

THE MARTIANS WERE ADVANCING IN

THE FORM OF A LARGE CLOUD, A

SCARY, EVIL, DARK CLOUD.

YOU CAN IMAGINE WHY THIS WOULD

SCARE PEOPLE BECAUSE THERE ARE

CLOUDS IN THE SKY. (chuckles)

MANY PEOPLE GENUINELY THOUGHT

THIS WAS THE END OF THE WORLD.

PANICKED CITIZENS

POURED OUT ONTO THE STREETS IN

THEIR NIGHTGOWNS.

SOME EVEN RAN TO CHURCH TO MAKE

THEIR PEACE WITH GOD.

(bell tolls)

THE CHURCH OPENED UP ITS

DOORS AND LET PEOPLE IN, SAYING,

YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO REPENT,

THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE.

AFTER PRODUCERS OF

THE BROADCAST REALIZED THE

COUNTRYWIDE PANIC THEY'D

INSTIGATED, THEY INTERRUPTED THE

RADIO PLAY AND ADMITTED THE

TRUTH TO THE PANICKED CITIZENS.

THEY REALLY THOUGHT THEY WERE

BEING UNDER ATTACK, AND WHEN

THEY FOUND OUT THAT THEY

WEREN'T, WHEN THEY FOUND OUT

THAT IT WAS A HOAX, THEY GOT

UPSET, THEY GOT PISSED OFF, AND

UNDERSTANDABLY SO.

THEY ACTUALLY ATTACKED AND

BURNED DOWN THE RADIO STATION,

AND SEVERAL PEOPLE WERE KILLED.

HOW COULD WE BE SO

GULLIBLE?

...BY MYTHICAL MONSTERS.

HOW COULD WE FALL

FOR THE SAME WORK OF FICTION

NOT JUST ONCE BUT TWICE?

TO INVESTIGATE THIS INTRIGUING

PHENOMENON, ACTOR DAN HODAPP IS

GOING TO PORTRAY A NEWS ANCHOR

AND FOOL PEOPLE ON THE STREET

WITH FALSE NEWS JUST TO SEE WHAT

PEOPLE BELIEVE.

REMEMBER HOW WE TOLD YOU EARLIER

THAT SOME PEOPLE THOUGHT THE

MOON LANDING WAS FAKE BECAUSE

THERE APPEARED TO BE ANOMALIES

IN THE PHOTOS?

LET'S SEE IF WE CAN CONVINCE

PEOPLE THAT THE MOON LANDING

NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

EARLIER TODAY, FORMER NASA

HEAD JOHN SCHORR SAID THAT IN

THE 1960s WE IN FACT DID NOT

LAND ON THE MOON AND THAT HE'S

RELEASING A BOOK TO SAY AS MUCH.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?

I'M STUNNED.

I MEAN, I REMEMBER, HEARING ANY

NUMBER OF WHAT I THOUGHT WERE

CONSPIRACY THEORIES.

THIS IS CRAZY.

IT WAS STAGED BY THE

PRESIDENT SO THAT THE U.S.

WOULD APPEAR TO BE WINNING THE

SPACE RACE AGAINST THE SOVIETS.

THAT'S KIND OF SAD.

I MEAN, THAT WAS PROBABLY THE

GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT IN THE

HISTORY OF MANKIND.

I LIKE TO THINK THAT WE DON'T

DO THAT AS THE UNITED STATES.

BUT...THE TRUTH IS COMING OUT

NOW.

IT'S PRETTY SAD.

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THAT WE

ACTUALLY DID LAND ON THE MOON

AND THAT WHAT I JUST SAID WAS

NOT REAL, THAT JOHN SCHORR IS

NOT THE HEAD OF NASA?

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE

TALKING ABOUT.

OKAY, COOL.

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU WE'RE WORKING

ON A TELEVISION SHOW ABOUT

PERCEPTIONS.

I DON'T KNOW.

I'D PREFER THAT YOU'RE LYING

TO ME THAN THAT THE FEDERAL

GOVERNMENT IS.

WHY DID SO MANY

PEOPLE BELIEVE DAN'S SHOCKING

NEWS?

YEAH, YOU HAD ME FOOLED.

YEP.

WHY DO PEOPLE TAKE

INFORMATION PRESENTED BY NEWS

REPORTERS AS TRUTH?

BECAUSE YOU'RE PRESENTING

YOURSELF AS A NEWSCASTER, AND I

ASSUME THAT YOUR--YOU WOULD

KNOW--

I MEAN, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT,

HOW WOULD I KNOW DIFFERENTLY?

I THINK THE CORRECT THING FOR ME

TO BELIEVE IS THAT YOU ARE.

YOU'VE GOT THE CAMERAS.

YOU'VE SOMEONE WITH HEADPHONES

SAYING OFFICIAL SOUNDING THINGS

INTO SOMETHING.

YOU'VE GOT THE SUIT.

YOU'VE GOT THE LITTLE BOX THING

GOING ON.

SO THAT'S SORT OF LIKE CONVEYS

SOME SENSE OF LIKE, YOU KNOW,

AUTHORITATIVENESS OR

CREDIBILITY.

THE DEFAULT VALUE THAT PEOPLE

ASSIGN TO A NEW PIECE OF

INFORMATION IS TO BELIEVE IT.

EVEN IF THAT PIECE OF

INFORMATION IS GIVEN TO US WITH

NO GUARANTEES ATTACHED

WHATSOEVER, OUR INNATE TENDENCY

IS TO BELIEVE IT.

BASICALLY, OUR

BRAINS ASSUME EVERYTHING WE HEAR

IS TRUE INITIALLY.

ONLY LATER DOES THE BRAIN GO

BACK AND DISCREDIT SOMETHING

IT'S HEARD.

AND IF A STATEMENT COMES FROM AN

AUTHORITY FIGURE THE PERCEIVED

TRUTH BECOMES MUCH MORE

BELIEVABLE.

IT SHOWS HOW IRRATIONAL WE

ARE.

SUDDENLY WE START TRUSTING

COMPLETE STRANGERS.

WE IN FACT DID NOT LAND ON

THE MOON.

IT'S KIND OF SAD.

THAT WAS PROBABLY THE GREATEST

ACHIEVEMENT IN THE HISTORY OF

MANKIND.

BECAUSE WE A PRONE

TO BELIEVE WHAT WE'RE TOLD,

ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES FROM A

PERSON OF AUTHORITY, AN

INCORRECT BELIEF CAN SPREAD LIKE

A VIRUS BETWEEN PEOPLE.

AND THIS WILLINGNESS TO BELIEVE

MAKES US SUSCEPTIBLE TO BEING

FOOLED.

THE MONSTERS ARE GOING TO

KILL US!

IN 1990, OVER 30

COUNTRIES AIRED FOOTAGE OF A

NOTORIOUS ALIEN AUTOPSY, WHICH

SPARKED INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE.

THE MATERIAL WAS LATER

DISCOVERED TO BE A HOAX.

AND SOME FALSE BELIEFS FUELED BY

THE MASSES HAVE BEEN DEADLY.

IN THE LATE 1600s IN SALEM,

MASSACHUSETTS, THREE GIRLS

ACCUSED NUMEROUS PEOPLE IN THE

VILLAGE OF BEING WITCHES.

SALEM AUTHORITIES BELIEVED THESE

ACCUSATIONS TO BE FACT.

TRAGICALLY, 20 PEOPLE WERE

EXECUTED BECAUSE THE RESIDENTS

OF SALEM BELIEVED THEY NEEDED TO

WARD OFF EVIL.

THROUGHOUT HISTORY, OUR BRAIN

HAS STRUGGLED TO DECIPHER FACT

FROM FICTION IN OUR EVERYDAY

LIVES AND ON THE WORLD STAGE.

BUT COMPOUNDING THIS DIFFICULT

PROCESS IS ONE FACT.

IT'S WEIRD FOR PEOPLE TO TRY

TO GET THEIR HEAD AROUND THIS,

BUT THE WORLD THAT YOU PERCEIVE

IN YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS IS NOT THE

WORLD THAT'S OUT THERE.

WHAT YOU PERCEIVE IS A

PRE-DIGESTED VERSION OF THE

WORLD THAT'S BEEN CREATED FOR

YOU BY YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND.

WE LIVE IN A WORLD

OF ILLUSIONS...

ILLUSIONS THAT SOMETIMES MAKE IT

DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHAT'S TRUE.

AND EVERY DAY, SCIENTISTS

UNEARTH ANOTHER WAY OUR BRAINS

LIE TO US.

AFTER ABOUT 100 YEARS

OF PSYCHOLOGY, I WOULD LOVE TO

SAY THAT WE HAVE A VERY PRECISE

UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE BRAIN

WORKS.

IT'S A LITTLE SCARY.

WE ABSOLUTELY DON'T.

WE'VE JUST SCRATCHED THE

SURFACE.

WE KNOW SOME OF THE TRICKS OUR

BRAINS PLAY ON US, BUT THERE'S A

HUGE AMOUNT MORE TO DISCOVER.

FROM HISTORY'S

GREATEST HOAXES TO ITS MOST

INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENTS...

...GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.

THERE ARE THOUSANDS

OF WAYS WE CAN BE DUPED INTO

BELIEVING JUST ABOUT ANYTHING...

YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME

ANYTHING.

BY YOUR BLEEPED-UP

BRAIN.