In 2009, Swiss neurologist Peter Brugger discovered that people4 with more dopamine in their systems are more likely to believe in secret conspiracies and alien abductions. They’re suffering from apophenia, “the tendency to be overwhelmed by meaningful coincidence,” and detecting patterns where others see none.
I have to imagine there has huge implications for regular Facebook users, especially given the last election cycle. Facebook and other social media are known dopamine hits, which if this discovery is true leads Facebook users to be more susceptible to the "fake news" being shared.
