by Hugo Mercier
quality and, 166–67; spontaneous
social alignment, of incentives, 89
tracking of, 150–51; unfettered curi-
social cost: of false rumors, 161–62,
osity and, 155–59; about University
171–72; of inaccurate information, 246
of Michigan strike, 147, 151; war time,
social media: Allcott on po liti cal
149; workplace, DiFonzo and Bordia
polarization and, 213; contagion
on, 149; on World War II Japa nese
analogy and, 96–97; fake news in,
treason, 151, 153
207, 298n11, 299n32; polarization in,
210–11; U.S. polarization and users
Salem witch trials: Osborne and, 185–86;
of, 212–13, 244
Tituba’s confessions in, 186, 189
social relevance, of information, 159–60
San Roque, Lila, 176
social transmission, of religious beliefs,
Schieffelin, Bambi, 179
175, 177
Schwartzberg, Melissa, 71
Socratic questioning, 53
scientific concepts, counterintuitive-
sourcing: hidden dependencies,
ness and, 220–21, 223, 224
172–75; interlocutors and, 166,
scientific theory, counterintuitive,
170–71; rumors and quality of,
231–33, 237–38, 270
166–67; trust and, 283n38; two
scientists, absurd ideas of, 217–18
degrees of separation, 171–72. See
Scott, James, 127
also evidentials
Scott- Phil ips, Thom, 102
Soviet propaganda, 131–32, 143
Seabright, Paul, 240
Sperber, Dan, 31, 57; on beliefs, 152;
Selb, Peter, 116
on face recognition, 156; on guru
selective ignorance, of children, 103
effect, 234
self- deception, 280n18
spontaneous tracking, of rumors,
self- incriminating statements, 197–98
150–51
sensationalism, fake news and, 215–16
Stalin, Joseph, 32
Shapiro, Jesse, 212–13
Stark, Rodney, 122
Shays’ Rebel ion, 110
Sternberg, Robert, 68
Sighele, Scipio, 96
Stimson, James, 267
signals, in communication, 18, 27–28;
Sting, The film, con men in, 248–49
automatic emotional reactions,
stotting, of Thomson’s gazelles, 24–25,
97–98; of chimpanzees, 40–41;
28, 101
commitment, 89–90; costly, 25–26,
Strandburg- Peshkin, Ariana, 71–72
241–42; for individual or group
strangers, trust in, 240, 241, 247–51
affiliation, 241; predator deterrent,
subliminal influence, xviii, 43, 263,
23–24; unreliable, 20, 25–26, 88, 104;
278n46; brainwashing and,
of vervet monkeys, 40
33–34
ind e x 363
success bias: athletic products and, 12;
Trump, Donald, 212; fake news and
Henrich and Gil- White on, 11–12;
election of, 200–201, 204–5, 207, 215,
Marx and Engels on, 13
298n7; gullibility and election of, 35,
suggestibility, cost of, xv
276n15; on immigration, 268; Putin
Sun Myung Moon, 122
and, 267
Sunstein, Cass, 210
trust, 78, 93–94, 222; blind, 2–5; calibra-Surowiecki, James, 71
tion of, 255–57; coarse cues for, 240–41,
sycophant, credible, 190–91
247–50, 254, 255; damage from
System 1 and System 2 thought pro-
breakdown in, 94; economic games
cesses, 35–38, 44–45, 277n20
experiments, 254–55, 304n28; effec-
tive irrational, 251–55; fragile chains
Taine, Hippolyte, 34
of, 269–71; incentives and, 84–87;
taking sides strategy: of cable news
information gains and, 252–54; lying
networks, 242–43; to gain
and, 81–82; negligence and, 83–84;
audiences, 243; with minimal costs,
overconfidence and, 90–92, 283n37;
242; misrepre sen ta tions spread
reputation and, 87–90; sourcing and,
by, 243
283n38; in strangers, 240, 241, 247–51;
Tamis- LeMonda, Catherine, 103
taking sides strategy and, 244–45; in
Tanganyika, 107; contagion of feelings
the wrong people, 240–41
in, 95–96
Truth movement, Kay on, 153
Tarde, Gabriel, 34, 96
Twain, Mark, 34–35; on majority
Tel is, Gerard, 143
opinion, 70
ten Brinke, Leanne, 80–81
Twitter, false rumors and, 158
Tenney, Elizabeth, 90–91
two degrees of separation, 171–72
thermostatic model, of public opinion,
2000 presidential election, of Bush and
268
Gore, 137–38
Thinking, Fast and Slow (Kahneman),
35–36
Unification Church, Stark and Lofland
Thompson, Samuel, 249–50
on, 123
Thomson’s gazelles, 16; stotting of,
United Airlines, Dao and, 146, 165, 292n2
24–25, 28, 101
United States, polarization in, 211–14
threats, 237; conspiracy theories as, 158;
University of Michigan strike rumor,
false rumors about, 157–58; propa-
147, 151
gandists and, 134; in reputation
unreliable signals, 20, 25–26, 88, 104
credit, 226–27, 228; rumors about
exaggerated, 261–62
vaccinations, 61, 269; backfire effect
Thucydides, 3, 167
and opponents of, 49; Conis on, 60;
Tituba, Salem witch trials confession
Wakefield and McCarthy on, 60
by, 186, 189
variety, of religious beliefs, 217
transfer effect, in learning, 280n11
vervet monkey, 18–19, 20, 40, 275n11
364 inde x
Veyne, Paul, 265
witchcraft: confessions of, 185–90;
vigilance: in communication, 15–29;
Evans- Pritchard study on, 186;
epistemic, Sperber on, 31; need for,
reflective beliefs for, 189–90. See also
28–29; in omnivorous diets, 39–40;
Salem witch trials
reasoning and, 54
Wood, Thomas, 49
viral marketing, 96
Woods, Tiger, 94
Voigtländer, Nico, 128–29
Wootton, David, 202
Voltaire, 202
workplace rumors, 149
voluntary false confessions, 182
world religions, 230
Voth, Hans- Joachim, 128–29
World War II, Japa nese treason rumor,
151, 153
Wakefield, Andrew, 60
Wray, Margaret, 17–18
Wang, Shaoguang, 132
Wrightsman, Lawrence, 184
Wanka Quechua language, on
sourcing, 168–69
Xhosa: Cattle- Kil ing movement, 118–19;
“War of the Worlds” broadcast, of
ghost army and, 2; Nongqawuse
Welles, 96
influence on, 2–4, 118
war time rumors, 149
&nb
sp; xkcd “Bridge” comic strip, of Munroe,
Weber, Eugen, 120
71, 72
Weinberg, Sandord, 147
Weisberg, Deena, 232
Yamagishi, Toshio, 252–53
Welch, Edgar Maddison, 2, 4, 154–55
Welles, Orson, 96
Zahavi, Amotz, 26
Wil iams, George, 22
Zeckhauser, Richard, 149
Wisdom of Crowds, The (Surowieski), 71
Zola, Émile, 262–63
Document Outline
Cover
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Case for Gullibility
2. Vigilance in Communication
3. Evolving Open-Mindedness
4. What to Believe?
5. Who Knows Best?
6. Who to Trust?
7. What to Feel?
8. Demagogues, Prophets, and Preachers
9. Propagandists, Campaigners, and Advertisers
10. Titillating Rumors
11. From Circular Reporting to Supernatural Beliefs
12. Witches’ Confessions and Other Useful Absurdities
13. Futile Fake News
14. Shallow Gurus
15. Angry Pundits and Skillful Con Men
16. The Case against Gullibility
Notes
References
Index
