Why do people often believe misinformation even when presented with facts?

People often believe misinformation even when they're shown facts because their brain likes being right more than it likes being wrong.

Imagine you have a favorite toy that always works, like a robot that dances when you press its button. One day, someone tells you the robot will stop dancing forever. You don’t believe them at first, because your robot has danced every time before. But then another person says the same thing, and now you start to think maybe it will stop dancing.

That’s like how people feel when they’re told something new. If they’ve heard a fake fact many times, their brain starts to believe it, even if someone shows them the real truth later.

Your brain is like a detective who likes solving mysteries, but sometimes it picks clues that match what it already thinks. If it’s used to believing something fun or exciting, it might ignore facts that seem boring or confusing. That's why people often stick with misinformation, even when they see the truth right in front of them.