Sharing articles on social media makes people think they know more about the topics of the articles than they actually do, according to a new study from the University of Texas at Austin.

According to foreign media, Telegrafi reports, sharing a news article, for example, can make people think they know more about the topic, even if they haven’t read it or glanced at the headline, the study says.

“Sharing can create this increase in trust because by putting information online, distributors publicly commit to an expert identity,” the study says.

“In doing so, they shape their sense of self, helping them feel as knowledgeable as their post makes them appear.”

The study, published online in advance in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, includes data from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.