In the context of persuasion and cognitive science, a Hallucination is a perceptual error where an individual’s brain overrides sensory data to maintain a consistent internal narrative. Unlike a simple bias or a mistake in logic, a hallucination feels like direct observation. The subject believes they are seeing or hearing reality, when they are actually projecting their own expectations onto the world.
The Internal State Fallacy
The primary trigger for a hallucination is the attempt to “mind-read” or determine a person’s interior mental state. Adams frequently points out that if your view of a public figure is based on your assumption of their private thoughts or intentions, you are likely hallucinating.
Because we cannot see inside another person’s mind, the brain fills that vacuum with a version of the person that fits our existing confirmation-bias. If you believe someone is a villain, your brain will interpret their neutral actions as malicious “tells.” Adams suggests that “if you imagine that you can know my interior mental state, you’re probably hallucinating.”
The Logic of Persistence
Hallucinations are often a defense mechanism against cognitive-dissonance. When reality contradicts a deeply held belief, the individual must “hallucinate to create a new reality in which they can still be right all along.” This often manifests in the “list” strategy: the subject compiles a long series of disparate events or quotes to prove a single, often unfalsifiable, point. Adams argues that “the more things on the list, the less credible it is,” because it indicates the person is looking for evidence to support a hallucination rather than following facts to a conclusion.
Mass Hallucination
When a large group of people shares the same perceptual error, it scales into mass-hysteria. In this state, “we don’t live in a world where you can believe your eyes or believe your ears.” Two different groups can watch the exact same video of a political event and see two entirely different “movies” playing out. One side sees a hero; the other sees a monster. Both sides are convinced they are observing objective reality, but at least one—and often both—is suffering from a hallucination driven by their identity.
Management and Trolls
In social media environments, those suffering from deep hallucinations often manifest as trolls. Adams suggests a policy of “no second chances” for those who engage via hallucinated narratives, as you cannot use reason to talk someone out of a reality their brain has constructed to protect their ego. Interacting with such individuals only provides them more visibility and reinforces the feedback loop.