Recent research revealed that several psycho-cognitive processes, such as insensitivity to positive and negative feedback, cognitive rigidity, pessimistic judgment bias, and anxiety, are involved in susceptibility to fake news. All of these processes have been previously associated with depressive disorder and are sensitive to serotoninergic manipulations. In the current study, a link between chronic treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) sertraline and susceptibility to true and fake news was examined. Herein, a sample of 1162 participants was recruited via Prolific Academic for an online study. Half of the sample reported taking sertraline (Zoloft) for at least 8 weeks (sertraline group), and the other half confirmed not taking any psychiatric medication (control group). The sertraline group was further divided according to their daily dosage (50, 100, 150, and 200 mg/day). All participants completed a susceptibility to misinformation scale, wherein they were asked to determine the veracity of the presented true and fake news and their willingness to behaviorally engage with the news. The results were compared between those of the sertraline groups and the control group. The results showed that sertraline groups did not differ significantly in the assessment of the truthfulness of information or their ability to discern the truth. However, those taking sertraline appeared to have a significantly increased likelihood of behavioral engagement with the information, and this effect was observed for both true and fake news. The research presented here represents the initial endeavor to comprehend the neurochemical foundation of the susceptibility to misinformation. The association between sertraline treatment and increased behavioral engagement with information observed in this study can be explained in light of previous studies showing positive correlations between serotonin (5-HT) system activity and the inclination to engage in social behaviors. It can also be attributed to the anxiolytic effects of sertraline treatment, which mitigate the fear of social judgment. The heightened behavioral engagement with information in people taking sertraline may, as part of a general phenomenon, also shape their interactions with fake news. Future longitudinal studies should reveal the specificity and exact causality of these interactions.

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研究报告：舍曲林治疗与对（错误）信息的敏感性之间的联系

最近的研究表明，一些心理认知过程，例如对正面和负面反馈不敏感、认知僵化、悲观判断偏差和焦虑，与对假新闻的敏感性有关。所有这些过程以前都与抑郁症有关，并且对血清素能操作敏感。在当前的研究中，研究了选择性血清素再摄取抑制剂（SSRI）舍曲林的长期治疗与对真假新闻的敏感性之间的联系。在此，通过 Prolific Academy 招募了 1162 名参与者样本进行在线研究。一半样本报告服用舍曲林（左洛复）至少 8 周（舍曲林组），另一半确认未服用任何精神药物（对照组）。舍曲林组根据每日剂量进一步分为（50、100、150 和 200 毫克/天）。所有参与者都完成了对错误信息的敏感性量表，其中要求他们确定所呈现的真假新闻的真实性以及他们以行为方式参与新闻的意愿。比较舍曲林组和对照组的结果。结果表明，舍曲林组在评估信息真实性或辨别真相的能力方面没有显着差异。然而，服用舍曲林的人似乎对信息进行行为参与的可能性显着增加，并且在真实新闻和虚假新闻中都观察到了这种效应。这里介绍的研究代表了理解错误信息易感性的神经化学基础的初步努力。舍曲林治疗与本研究中观察到的信息行为参与度增加之间的关联可以根据先前的研究来解释，该研究表明血清素（5-HT）系统活动与参与社交行为的倾向之间呈正相关。这也可以归因于舍曲林治疗的抗焦虑作用，它减轻了对社会判断的恐惧。作为普遍现象的一部分，服用舍曲林的人对信息的行为参与度增强可能也会影响他们与假新闻的互动。未来的纵向研究应该揭示这些相互作用的特异性和确切的因果关系。