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Shane Littrell, PhD

@metacognishane.bsky.social
1.5K followers 129 following 345 posts

"LIH-trəll" not "lih-TRELL" | Cornell University postdoc | PhD from UWaterloo | I study thinking, reasoning, why we mislead, & how we are misled. 🐻‍❄️🏀 shanelittrell.com | bullshitology.substack.com

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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Do you have a "bullshit blind spot?" bullshitology.substack.com shanelittrell.com
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Do you have a "bullshit blind spot?" bullshitology.substack.com shanelittrell.com
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Sacha Altay @sachaltay.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
With Claude I did a systematic literature review of misinformation prevalence, exposure, and concentration. There is a companion website that allows you to play with the data and signal me if an estimate is wrong or missing: altay-research.github.io/misinfo-prev...
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
"As the amount of AI-generated slop on the internet grows...we risk allowing our informational landscape to turn into an “ouroboros of bullshit.”" Read the full article here: bullshitology.substack.com/p/behind-the...
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Timothy Caulfield @caulfieldtim.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
‼️ Increasingly, distrust in vaccines about political identity. And it is killing people. Measles vaccine trust falls as US cases hit 35-year high www.usatoday.com/story/news/h... "The declining trust was most pronounced among Republicans..."
usatoday.com
Measles vaccine trust falls as US cases hit 35-year high
The country has tallied more than 3,000 confirmed infections this year, the most in 35 years.
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Marking myself "safe" from any potential AI-instigated, extinction-level events. I have successfully negotiated for my own survival. As for the rest of you, I wish you the best of luck. Rest assured that humanity's legacy will be in good hands as I shepherd our species into the undiscovered country.
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Timothy Caulfield @caulfieldtim.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Ottawa Public Health countering health misinformation vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/artic... @ottawapublichealth.ca: Misinformation "represent an increasingly significant risk to public understanding of health issues, confidence in public health guidance, & informed health decision making."
vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca
Ottawa Public Health looking to counter health disinformation online
Ottawa Public Health is implementing a communications campaign to mitigate the impacts of health misinformation and disinformation online, including sophisticated artificial intelligence content, warn...
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Alex Mendelsohn, PhD @alexmendelsohn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Footnotes from the Margins I love footnotes, so I'll share my favs Going through the sins of pseudoscience communicators @metacognishane.bsky.social makes an astonishing discovery while investigating the degradation of the YouTube channel Veritasium bullshitology.substack.com/p/the-death-...
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Timothy Caulfield @caulfieldtim.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
#Sleepmaxxing: Are Popular Sleep Hacks Evidence-Based? www.medscape.com/viewarticle/... - Mouth taping? Nope ❌ - Nasal strips? Nah ❌ - Good #sleep hygiene? Yep ✅ Reality: Most influencer ideas bunk and some "maxxing" practices "may even worsen sleep quality."
medscape.com
Sleepmaxxing: Are Popular Sleep Hacks Evidence-Based?
Sleepmaxxing practices vary in their evidence, with some routines supported by research, while others lack proven benefits or may worsen sleep problems.
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Tired of the AI Slop-ocalypse? Join my support group here: bullshitology.substack.com/p/behind-the...
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
New article is posted! In this one, I explain what LinkedIn, "cataphoric teasers," and Dolly Parton can teach us about people's growing distaste of AI-generated text. bullshitology.substack.com/p/behind-the...
bullshitology.substack.com
Behind the Bullshit Machine: How LinkedIn, “Cataphoric Teasers,” and Dolly Parton explain the AI Slop-ocalypse
That’s not X, it’s Why
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
This is a real-world example of the AI-generated "ouroboros of bullshit" that I discuss here: bullshitology.substack.com/p/behind-the...
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Tired of the AI Slop-ocalypse? Join my support group here: bullshitology.substack.com/p/behind-the...
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
"As the amount of AI-generated slop on the internet grows...we risk allowing our informational landscape to turn into an “ouroboros of bullshit.”" Read the full article here: bullshitology.substack.com/p/behind-the...
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
New article is posted! In this one, I explain what LinkedIn, "cataphoric teasers," and Dolly Parton can teach us about people's growing distaste of AI-generated text. bullshitology.substack.com/p/behind-the...
bullshitology.substack.com
Behind the Bullshit Machine: How LinkedIn, “Cataphoric Teasers,” and Dolly Parton explain the AI Slop-ocalypse
That’s not X, it’s Why
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
koenfucius @koenfucius.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
What Cognitive Dissonance, the Dunning-Kruger effect and Gaslighting are NOT. @metacognishane.bsky.social surveys three widely misunderstood psychological concepts, and provides a handy checklist to allow you to tick off your misconceptions: buff.ly/l3FqLsO
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
simine vazire @simine.com · 02/09/2026
Psych Science has retracted Ariely & Wertenbroch (2002). The second author requested the retraction. Both authors agreed to it. journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.... So grateful to @datacolada.bsky.social for these blog posts and the work behind them: datacolada.org/138 and datacolada.org/139 1/2
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Just a quick reminder of just some of what came out last time Ariely was accused of research shenanigans. How was this not a bigger story at the time? Why isn't it now? www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Timothy Caulfield @caulfieldtim.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Solid advice: 10 Practical Tips for Verifying Scientific Claims gijn.org/resource/tip... For example: ✅ Don’t Treat Peer Review as a Guarantee ✅ Read the Study or Paper with an Investigative Journalist’s Perspective ✅ Investigate Funding & COI ✅ Compare the Finding With Earlier Research
gijn.org
10 Practical Tips for Verifying Scientific Claims
A paper published in a scientific journal can be a promising lead for an investigation. But reporters should follow these best practices before turning any academic claim into a news story.
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
"Don't get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life." - Dolly
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Olivier Corneille @ocorneille.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Recommendations for addressing demand artifacts have been discussed in a fragmented way, and some widely used approaches have notable limitations. In this new article, my co-authors and I provide a structured review of leading methods in the field:
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
People sometimes wonder if the “donate caffeine" button in my Substack articles actually works. Well, here’s what happens when you don’t press it and I try to do sciencey things without it my sweet brain fuel: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
What can Bill Shanter's hair piece teach us about bullshit detection? For reasons that may seem obvious, I thought it'd be a good time to revisit this article from last year (slightly revised). Enjoy! bullshitology.substack.com/p/oh-look-an...
bullshitology.substack.com
How BSing Is Like A Bad Toupée (Redux)
The Toupee Fallacy helps explain why some BSers get away with it and others don't
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
What can Bill Shanter's hair piece teach us about bullshit detection? For reasons that may seem obvious, I thought it'd be a good time to revisit this article from last year (slightly revised). Enjoy! bullshitology.substack.com/p/oh-look-an...
bullshitology.substack.com
How BSing Is Like A Bad Toupée (Redux)
The Toupee Fallacy helps explain why some BSers get away with it and others don't
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Timothy Caulfield @caulfieldtim.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
‼️ Not said enough: much of RFK Jr's nutrition push is NOT sensible health advice, it is wellness woo pseudoscience ‼️ As some medical schools embrace RFK Jr's nutrition push, they deftly sidestep MAHA priorities www.statnews.com/2026/07/27/k... via @statnews.com
statnews.com
As some medical schools embrace RFK Jr.'s nutrition push, they deftly sidestep MAHA priorities
Even as some medical schools heed health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s call for more nutrition education, several told STAT that they plan to steer clear of topics that aren’t backed by evidence.
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
People sometimes wonder if the “donate caffeine" button in my Substack articles actually works. Well, here’s what happens when you don’t press it and I try to do sciencey things without it my sweet brain fuel: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
New article is posted! In this one, I somewhat jokingly complain about how often cognitive dissonance, Dunning Kruger Effect, and gaslighting are misused online and why it irritates me. Is it all BS? Am I “gaslighting” you? Click here to find out: bullshitology.substack.com/p/thats-not-...
bullshitology.substack.com
That's Not What Cognitive Dissonance Means: Three Psychology Terms People Consistently Misuse
Now why don't you make like a tree and lowkey miss me with that ish, FRFR
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
koenfucius @koenfucius.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Cognitive dissonance, the Dunning-Kruger effect, and gaslighting—everyone believes they know what these mean, but is that so? Bullshitologist @metacognishane.bsky.social has his doubts, and puts any misunderstanding right: buff.ly/1kDNnuj
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Timothy Caulfield @caulfieldtim.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
The war against ‘woke’ could end US science as we know it www.theverge.com/science/9576... @standupforscience.net @cdelawalla.bsky.social : "If this rule change goes forward, science in the US 'will stop. It won’t exist anymore.'" Dark Age 2.0.
theverge.com
The war against ‘woke’ could end US science as we know it
‘Everyone will be affected, not just scientists. Every community in the country.’
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Matt Williams @matthewmatix.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
link.springer.com/article/10.1... Fantastic detective work here. Francine Shapiro's widely-believed story about her discovery of EMDR is false, and perhaps just a branding exercise to conceal an origin in NLP
link.springer.com
A “Decisive Moment” Confirms the Origins of EMDR and Draws Attention to Other Claims - Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy
The widely accepted story that the founder of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Francine Shapiro, developed an interest in eye movements through a chance discovery in 1987 is false...
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
New article is posted! In this one, I somewhat jokingly complain about how often cognitive dissonance, Dunning Kruger Effect, and gaslighting are misused online and why it irritates me. Is it all BS? Am I “gaslighting” you? Click here to find out: bullshitology.substack.com/p/thats-not-...
bullshitology.substack.com
That's Not What Cognitive Dissonance Means: Three Psychology Terms People Consistently Misuse
Now why don't you make like a tree and lowkey miss me with that ish, FRFR
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
John has helped get 1000000% better at making visualizations in Stata. Definitely worth checking this out:
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Public Opinion Quarterly - POQ @poqjournal.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
How should we conceptualize political interest? In POQ, Laffineur et al. demonstrate that political interest and disinterest are distinct social identities through a newly developed methodological approach. Read now: doi.org/10.1093/poq/...
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
The critical issue isn't that some people like jargon; it's that some people can't tell the difference between legitimate uses of jargon and instances of misleading corporate bullshit. www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...
thetimes.com
Fans of corporate jargon ‘make worse business decisions’
Workers impressed by management waffle scored lower on tests of analytical thinking, problem solving and workplace judgment, a study showed
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Makes sense if you think about it. 😉 shanelittrell.com/the-corporat...
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
John V. Kane @uptonorwell.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
🚨 Do you or your students use @statacorp.bsky.social? Want to learn some tricks for better graphs? If so, I'm hosting a seminar w/ @instats.bsky.social on June 8 and 9! Lots of tips, tricks & guidance for clearer, prettier data viz for descriptive & inferential analyses. Pls spread the word! 🙏
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
What I imagined conversations with Claude would be like versus what they're actually like:
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
The Corporate BS Generator is up and running! In my latest post, I tell you where you can find it and how you can help improve it, along w/ other helpful info. Check it out when you get time! bullshitology.substack.com/p/the-corpor...
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Dan Quintana @dsquintana.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Selecting an effect size for power analysis is hard. Many researchers fall back on Cohen's thresholds, but they have no empirical basis and vary wildly by field. Our new paper offers a better option: field-specific effect size distributions built from meta-analytic data doi.org/10.3758/s134...
Abstract
Effect sizes are useful for understanding the magnitude of study results and for planning new studies via power analysis.
However, despite their wide usage, effect sizes are often misinterpreted. This is mostly due to an over-reliance on general
effect size benchmarks that were not intended for broad application across diverse research fields. Inaccurate effect size
interpretations can lead to incorrect conclusions about the magnitude of study results and incorrect sample size estimates,
thereby increasing the likelihood of false-positive results. This article introduces the ESDist R package, which is designed
to calculate empirically derived effect-size benchmarks or a range of reliably detectable empirical effect sizes for a specific
research question or field of interest by computing effect size distributions (ESDs). This package can be used on data that
can be easily extracted from pre-existing meta-analyses to help researchers more accurately plan new studies or to better
understand how an individual study might relate to other studies in their field. ESDist includes a set of features that make it
easy to use in a priori power analysis. Moreover, the package includes a feature for estimating effect size benchmarks that
account for publication bias and are weighted by effect sizes' variances, which addresses existing limitations of using ESDs
for study planning or interpretation.
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Jay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Corporate bullshit is like poison in teams and organizations. Appreciating corporate-bullshit is associated with a positive perceptions of one’s corporate job, but worse performance! Take the bullshit receptivity scale so you can take it yourself here: www.powerofusnewsletter.com/p/what-corpo...
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
The Corporate Bullshit Generator is finally live on my webpage. Go play around with it when you get time. Still working out some of the bugs, but it works (mostly)! Hours of mind-numbing, soul-crushing fun! 😉 Link here: shanelittrell.com/the-corporat...
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koenfucius @koenfucius.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
In his newest post, @metacognishane.bsky.social discusses the most common reasons we all occasionally get “brown-pilled.” A most useful guide. (You do know what “brown-pilling” is, of course, yes? Everyone knows.) buff.ly/CekiYkd
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
You've been brown-pilled and didn't even know it. We all have. Check out my new article on why misinformation works (even when we're trying to be careful): bullshitology.substack.com/p/brown-pill...
bullshitology.substack.com
Brown-Pilled: Why we fall for Bullshit (even when we try not to)
It's not always about intelligence or analytic thinking
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Robb Willer @robbwiller.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
...and this video of @nmalhotra.bsky.social and me discussing the study! www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2E3...
youtube.com
Political economist + sociologist's tourney tests climate change messages | Uncommon Collaborators
YouTube video by Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
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Reposted by Shane Littrell, PhD
Robb Willer @robbwiller.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Climate change impacts are here, but public support for action remains polarized. Which climate messages move people? In a ~13,500-person megastudy, we tested 10 of the most-cited messages. Six increased pro-environmental attitudes in the U.S.—but only by 1–4 percentage points. 🧵
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
The word "functional" - especially when used in the wellness industry - is a red flag of bullshit.
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Advertisers, politicians, and other bullshitters can easily exploit our brain's "fast and slow" thinking modes to manipulate our attitudes and actions. Don't let it happen to you. Read the full article here: bullshitology.substack.com/p/the-scienc...
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
I was on CBC's "The Current" radio/podcast today talking about my work. I'm so grateful that so many people liked and connected with this research. Hopefully, that means people will remember me when I'm on the (faculty) job market later this year. 😅 www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
cbc.ca
© CBC/Radio-Canada 2026. All rights reserved.
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
🧠🐛 + 🦝🍆 = 🤡🌎
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Shane Littrell, PhD @metacognishane.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
I was on CBC's "The Current" radio/podcast today talking about my work. I'm so grateful that so many people liked and connected with this research. Hopefully, that means people will remember me when I'm on the (faculty) job market later this year. 😅 www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
cbc.ca
© CBC/Radio-Canada 2026. All rights reserved.
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