A Literature Review of Bullshit Receptivity: Perspectives for an informed policy making against misinformation

Since the publication of Pennycook and colleagues’ (2015) paper on the reception of pseudo-profound bullshit, the concept of bullshit (BS) receptivity has slowly gained interest as an individual characteristic of people with the tendency to be overly receptive of and sensitive to fake claims. This paper seeks to identify and discuss peer-reviewed literature that applies BS receptivity scales, to better define their role within the bigger picture of the characteristics of those individuals particularly prone to the reception of a whole range of outlandish beliefs. Considering the cross-cutting nature of the issue, we prompt the need for further empirical and applicative research, and underline that – with BS receptivity belonging to the set of determinants contributing to flawed decision-making in terms of spotting genuine from fake content – greater involvement of behavioral economists is desirable. We call for such involvement not only within the BS debate, but also in assisting policymakers in their hard task of developing tailored policy responses and digital literacy interventions to combat misinformation and disinformation at its roots.