# Why are people so gullible? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2012, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029 "2012-12-05T02:35:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/41 "2012-12-05T19:48:02Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > Right there. Even with your description of your company’s goals and ideals, everything you describe has the golden factor: “I hardly have to do anything to be successful.” This is what people feel the most, I think. > > Let’s see, I just email my soc sec number to a stranger and I get one million buckeroos. I say I love jesus, and I get to float around in heaven forever. I just spend five bucks, pick numbers and I’m a success. > > But what helps the invention side of things is the repeated success stories ad nauseum. How many times do I have to hear about the guy, you know, the guy who invented the road reflectors we see on highways these days. “He’s gets, like, 10 cents for each one, man! That’s millions!” :rolleyes: > > Even inventors who actually DO invent something cool, people seem to think that all of their problems are a thing of the past. Money is the only cure, and cure IT DOES! Yeah, right. You win a million, even hundreds of millions then get acute lyme disease. You’re still screwed, buddy. So true. You touch on a good point there, too. Personal stories. They used these to connect with the client. Sometimes they weren’t even true and they’d just make one up. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/42 "2012-12-05T20:06:19Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I think kids should be taught critical thinking skills as they’re growing up, and at some point they should be made aware of this list of cognitive biases and how it can affect their own thinking; that will at least give them a fighting chance at compensating for those biases. At my elementary school we played [The Propaganda Game](http://wffnproof.com/inc/sdetail/127). To this day, I still occasionally think of that game when I see an ad using a blatant propaganda technique. I credit that game in part for my current skepticism, although I have had my share of gullible moments. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/43 "2012-12-05T21:23:06Z")
People are gullible because they are greedy, lazy and stupid. They want more, they don’t want to work that that hard and most don’t really know how to get what they want. Think of it like this. Take the thing you want or like most or think is the most important thing in the world. Imagine you didn’t know how to get it. At what point would you become so frustrated or desperate that you would entertain any advice on how to get it? The two best ways of avoiding a scam are 1. Not to actually care about or want anything; and 2. Realize that there is no such thing as a free lunch. If someone is giving you a deal that is too good to be true, it is either bullshit or there are strings attached. ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/44 "2012-12-05T21:50:54Z")
See, Ms. Smith I can see where you’re coming from but I think you may be a bit pessimistic when it comes to the greedy and lazy part. Stupid? Yea I can see it. See most of my clients weren’t lazy. They had jobs. They worked hard. As I said these were middle aged people who are just tired of working. It’s hard to classify it as greed, too. Sure, they wanted compensation but what’s wrong with that? They were willing to put forth the funds to make it happen. Greed, to me, would be when a client called in and gave us the idea and expected us to do it all for free and pay them back if it works out. Honestly, I think the major factor is just plain old stupidity, delusion, naivety, etc…but what gets me is just how unbelievably stupid one has to be to fall for it. ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/45 "2012-12-05T21:53:07Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > This gets at the heart of it. Human psychology has some weaknesses, and if you know where those weak points are and how to press on them, you’re more likely to get what you want out of another person. > > Here’s [Wikipedia’s list of cognitive biases.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases) You mention “fear of loss,” which shows up on that list as [loss aversion.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_aversion) Advertising that makes people want your product works pretty well, but advertising that makes people _fear_ what might happen if they don’t purchase your product seems to work even better. > > I think kids should be taught critical thinking skills as they’re growing up, and at some point they should be made aware of this list of cognitive biases and how it can affect their own thinking; that will at least give them a fighting chance at compensating for those biases. This is a really cool link. Thanks for sharing. ---
**Author:** ![taskmgr.exe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@taskmgr.exe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taskmgr.exe)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/46 "2012-12-05T22:15:21Z")
> [@Scotty Mo](#): > > Why are people so gullible? No, we are not. > [@Scotty Mo](#): > > Why are we so stupid? No, we are not. ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/47 "2012-12-05T22:20:54Z")
> [@taskmgr.exe](#): > > No, we are not. > > No, we are not. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDRXn96HrtY](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDRXn96HrtY) Neil Degrasse Tyson thinks it’s up for debate. He’s a pretty smart guy. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/48 "2012-12-05T22:24:39Z")
> [@Scotty Mo](#): > > Why are we so stupid? > [@Scotty Mo](#): > > Neil Degrasse Tyson thinks it’s up for debate. He’s a pretty smart guy. So, are we stupid or smart? Which is it? We are Devo! ---
**Author:** ![taskmgr.exe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@taskmgr.exe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taskmgr.exe)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/49 "2012-12-05T23:26:50Z")
> [@Scotty Mo](#): > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDRXn96HrtY](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDRXn96HrtY) > > Neil Degrasse Tyson thinks it’s up for debate. He’s a pretty smart guy. _“Everything that we are that is not the chimp is not as smart compared to the chimp as we tell ourselves it is.”_ What does that mean? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/50 "2012-12-06T03:28:02Z")
> [@taskmgr.exe](#): > > _“Everything that we are that is not the chimp is not as smart compared to the chimp as we tell ourselves it is.”_ > > What does that mean? ☹ He gets excited for sure but I think he has a good point. He’s basically pointing out the inflated ego of the human species. He is saying the difference between the Hubble telescope and a chimp that can perform sign language may not be that wide of a gap in knowledge because we share 99% of the same DNA. Imagine, another species 1% smarter than us and how our achievements may pale in comparison. ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/51 "2012-12-06T04:56:39Z")
Hi Scotty, Not being an American I’ve never come across this ‘industry’ you were in. Can I clarify, so someone with an idea, would come to the business you worked for, and you would then offer, for a fee, to create a prototype of whatever the idea was? Is that the gist of it? ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/52 "2012-12-06T05:14:19Z")
> [@GreedySmurf](#): > > Hi Scotty, Not being an American I’ve never come across this ‘industry’ you were in. > > Can I clarify, so someone with an idea, would come to the business you worked for, and you would then offer, for a fee, to create a prototype of whatever the idea was? Is that the gist of it? Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/53 "2012-12-07T00:55:37Z")
> [@Scotty Mo](#): > > Exactly. At the risk of getting further away from your original question, I don’t see what’s necessarily wrong with that, and why some people are giving you a hard time about it. From context I presume the fee charged was perhaps exorbitant? And would I be correct in thinking that you didn’t advise these ‘inventors’ as to the viability of their invention. Presumably after some time in the game you could take one look and say ‘That’s shit, it’ll never sell’ but still went ahead and tried to sign them up anyway? I don’t see any of that as a scam myself. If at the base level of the arrangement they pay you money and then they get a prototype. Am I missing something? ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/54 "2012-12-07T01:23:46Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > The two best ways of avoiding a scam are > > 1. Not to actually care about or want anything; and > 2. Realize that there is no such thing as a free lunch. If someone is giving you a deal that is too good to be true, it is either bullshit or there are strings attached. I’ve always understood one of the usual features of a scam to be that the victim thinks he is scamming the scammer. Certainly that’s the case with 419 scams and most of the online get rich quick stuff I come across. The victim knows it’s a scam on some level; he thinks he’s pulling one over the real scammer by letting him take all of the risk, and plans to take the money and run at an opportune moment. What OP describes sounds like a sleazy and opportunistic business using high-pressure sales tactics, but not really a scam. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/55 "2012-12-07T20:50:03Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > I’ve always understood one of the usual features of a scam to be that the victim thinks he is scamming the scammer. Certainly that’s the case with 419 scams and most of the online get rich quick stuff I come across. The victim knows it’s a scam on some level; he thinks he’s pulling one over the real scammer by letting him take all of the risk, and plans to take the money and run at an opportune moment. > > What OP describes sounds like a sleazy and opportunistic business using high-pressure sales tactics, but not really a scam. Frequently, but not necessarily. A scam will typically play on the victim’s greed, fear, pride, pity, embarassment, arrogance or ignorance. A lot of the online get rich quick and MLM sales stuff trys to convince people that only idiots work hard for someone else. But they have a quick solution that will make them millions! ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/56 "2012-12-07T21:38:52Z")
**Scotty Mo** , I once heard a good definition of cynicism. “That is when someone says: Everybody cheats, so why shouldn’t I?” Cynicism is a rationalization. A cover up, and excuse, to make the scammer feel less bad about himself. By shifting blame to the victim, ( he was asking for it, why are people so gullible) of by sharing blame (everybody does it). There are plenty of such excuses floating around as memes in our cultural database, perpetuated by an eternal need for them. They are ready to pluck out of the air and use to lessen and shift guilt. A few choice ones are: -“Am I my brothers keeper?” -“Nice guys finish last” -“There’s a sucker born every minute” - “If I don’t do it, someone else will, so I might as well” -"Why are people so gullible? -“I need the money” Now, all of the above may be true. Partly or entirely. Subjectively, even objectively. Long term or short term. I don’t presume to be an ethical judge here. But I am a psychologist. And when I see you asking the question in the OP, I think, like a butterfly collector seeing a nice specimen: "Oh look! Man feels guilty about past act, man does typical blame shifting act…but doesn’t quite fall for it himself…let’s see if the guilt leads to more shifting behavior, or to a different course of action… > [@Scotty Mo](#): > > Actually I’m rather ashamed of it and wish I could pay them all back. I didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into at first. Also, it was what I considered my first “real” job and payed more than any I ever had. > > But after I did start to realize what was going on I still stuck around. So I guess I am a greedy jerk but I had bills to pay too. It’s not exactly easy finding a decent job in this economy. "Oh, yeah, the economy meme. That is another one. Fits the behavior of the species perfectly. I feel like I’m watching a nature show on the Discovery Channel here. " > [@Scotty Mo](#): > > … Because as far as I can tell, we live in a dog-eat-dog world. Lawyers regularly get guilty men off scot-free. Accountants find ways to cut workers out of jobs for more profits at the top. … “We live in a dog-eat-dog-world” Another classic. If he had a family, he would probably do the one about putting his family first. > [@Scotty Mo](#): > > For the record. I don’t work there anymore. I got fired about a year ago. > [@Scotty Mo](#): > > With all that being said, I still don’t think it makes any of them less gullible. By the way, I talked one guy out of selling his car. That was just an example from what I had saw. Hmn.. So he felt guilty, but not enough to quit. Or stop the scamming. But he did feel enough guilt to stop scamming a victim a couple times… Yep. ::waves butterfly net:: What we have here, is a beautiful specimen of Cynic. Most of them feel pangs of guilt. What makes them cynics is how they push those away. And this one is of a subspecies rather more likely to keep on scamming his fellow creatures in the future, judging by the combo of past behavior and still ongoing cynic rationalization. Still, it is rare to find such behavior so beautifully and openly displayed. It’s truly like watching the Discovery Channel. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/57 "2012-12-07T22:05:27Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > **Scotty Mo** , I once heard a good definition of cynicism. “That is when someone says: Everybody cheats, so why shouldn’t I?” > > Cynicism is a rationalization. A cover up, and excuse, to make the scammer feel less bad about himself. By shifting blame to the victim, ( he was asking for it, why are people so gullible) of by sharing blame (everybody does it). There are plenty of such excuses floating around as memes in our cultural database, perpetuated by an eternal need for them. They are ready to pluck out of the air and use to lessen and shift guilt. > > A few choice ones are: > -“Am I my brothers keeper?” > -“Nice guys finish last” > -“There’s a sucker born every minute” > > - “If I don’t do it, someone else will, so I might as well” > -"Why are people so gullible? > -“I need the money” > > Now, all of the above may be true. Partly or entirely. Subjectively, even objectively. Long term or short term. I don’t presume to be an ethical judge here. > > But I am a psychologist. And when I see you asking the question in the OP, I think, like a butterfly collector seeing a nice specimen: "Oh look! Man feels guilty about past act, man does typical blame shifting act…but doesn’t quite fall for it himself…let’s see if the guilt leads to more shifting behavior, or to a different course of action… > > "Oh, yeah, the economy meme. That is another one. Fits the behavior of the species perfectly. I feel like I’m watching a nature show on the Discovery Channel here. " > > “We live in a dog-eat-dog-world” Another classic. If he had a family, he would probably do the one about putting his family first. > Hmn.. So he felt guilty, but not enough to quit. Or stop the scamming. But he did feel enough guilt to stop scamming a victim a couple times… > Yep. ::waves butterfly net:: What we have here, is a beautiful specimen of Cynic. Most of them feel pangs of guilt. What makes them cynics is how they push those away. And this one is of a subspecies rather more likely to keep on scamming his fellow creatures in the future, judging by the combo of past behavior and still ongoing cynic rationalization. > > Still, it is rare to find such behavior so beautifully and openly displayed. It’s truly like watching the Discovery Channel. To be fair, he says he’s in nursing school now. So presumably his life will take a different course from now on. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029/58 "2012-12-07T23:13:16Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > To be fair, he says he’s in nursing school now. So presumably his life will take a different course from now on. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. I know that is a thing to say, but really, what other option is there when meeting strangers, IRL or on the Internet? What is the alternative? Random cyberstalking people to warn others to shun them? Far too much work, sorry. But my business is understanding and predicting behavior. And judging from the OP, Scotty Mo still likes his worldview with a high ratio of victim blaming to taking responsibility. And that does not bode well for the future. The most he can hope for is to be put in an environment where doing the ethical thing is expected. If that is nursing school, good for him. As it is for most of us. For those of us who are not heroes or psychopaths, the most any of us can hope for is that our circumstances don’t try us too hard. And what I hate about vocal cynicism is that it changes everybodies circumstances for the worse in that way. Cynics make doing the ethical thing harder for everybody. No one likes to be made to feel like a schmuck for doing the right thing. That is the real harm cynics do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-gullible/643029.md?page=2)