Brainwashing? Like ‘The Manchurian Candidate’?
Rebecca Lemov.Veasey Conway/Harvard Staff Photographer Nation & World Brainwashing? Like ‘The Manchurian Candidate’? More than vestige of Cold War, mind-control techniques remain with us in social media, cults, AI, elsewhere, new book argues Liz Mineo Harvard Staff Writer June 16, 2025 7 min read Brainwashing is often viewed as a Cold War relic — think ’60s films like “The Manchurian Candidate” and “The IPCRESS File.” But Rebecca Lemov, professor of the history of science, argues in her recently released book “The Instability of Truth: Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyper-Persuasion” that it still persists. Elements of coercion and persuasion, components of mind and behavior control are used in cults, social media, AI, and even crypto culture, she said. In this edited interview, Lemov talks about the history of brainwashing, why it endures, and how it works. What is the common thread among brainwashing, mind control, and hyper-persuasion? They’re all related. Brainwashing gets the most attention because it is the most dramatic and...