The vast majority of published psychology and human behaviour studies are false

By Rhoda Wilson on October 1, 2026

An alarming amount of poor-quality academic and scientific research has been discovered in recent years.

Inconsistent research results, based on poor methodologies or of limited practical impact, are too often transformed into big, broad, but unreliable claims – which are then amplified by politicians or the media to support a narrative or campaign.

Social science studies are no exception. The vast majority of psychology research claims are false. Until the incentives for research change, the public will continue to be fed a steady diet of bold claims about human behaviour built on an unsteady foundation.

One of the most urgent questions facing society today is the potential impact of AI on education and labour markets. So, it’s no surprise that two scientists attempted to provide an answer, producing a meta-analysis suggesting that incorporating ChatGPT in schooling dramatically improved student outcomes. Social media and online sources promoted the 2025 study as a beacon of bright light.

The problem is that the researchers’ conclusions were later found to be unreliable, and the study was retracted in April – another blow to the public’s faith in science.

Scientists are increasingly chasing answers to big questions in fields from health care to climate change to AI. The academic research industry incentivises them to produce the biggest possible findings that make for splashy headlines and career promotions. But such discoveries are rare in science and, too often, the result is widespread exaggeration, dodgy methods and miscommunication.

“The incentive structure of modern science is such that a ‘simplify, then exaggerate’ strategy has become dominant, even if only tacitly,” according to a recent academic review. “To get published in leading journals, to be awarded grants and to be hired as a postdoc or faculty member, a system-wide bias for novelty, exaggeration and storytelling has emerged.”

As RealClearInvestigations has previously reported, an alarming amount of poor-quality academic and scientific research has been discovered in recent years. Hindawi, formerly a part of major science publisher Wiley, had to retract thousands of science articles, many of them alleged to have been produced by paper mills that generate reams of reports of studies that never existed.

more:

https://expose-news.com/2026/10/01/published-human-behaviour-studies-are-false/