Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do about It
April 10, 2023
Simons, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois, and Chabris, a behavioral science professor at Geisinger Health System, follow up their The Invisible Gorilla with an eye-opening examination of the thought patterns that render people vulnerable to duplicity. From Ponzi schemes to art forgeries, the authors write, scams exploit cognitive patterns that “serve us well most of the time”—the tendency to focus only on information that’s “right in front of us,” or make predictions based on experience—but reveal blind spots when fraudsters hijack them. Simons and Chabris dig into a trove of scams, among them Bernie Madoff’s $20 billion “mother of all Ponzi schemes,” which duped investors in part thanks to the “smooth, consistent” upward returns he fabricated; phishing emails that replicate the format of legitimate messages; and TV psychics who capitalize on emotionally vulnerable audiences. The authors explain that while fraud can’t be entirely prevented, one can be less vulnerable to it by fact-checking claims, being skeptical of studies with unrealistically potent results, and learning to recognize “nonresponses” to information requests. Replete with fascinating examples, including the 2022 FTX cryptocurrency collapse and the classic “Nigerian prince” email scam, this entry provides smart, succinct analyses based in solid cognitive science principles. The gullible and skeptical alike will find plenty to chew on.
Starred review from May 1, 2023
America is awash in lies, liars, and scams as well as books denouncing them, and this is among the best. Simons, a professor of psychology, and Chabris, a cognitive scientist, are aware of the popularity of stories about scammers. In this collaboration, they deliver a steady stream of such tales in which the well known (Bernie Madoff, Elizabeth Holmes) barely scratch the surface. Mostly, scammers exploit habits that serve us well in daily life but make us easy prey. We believe what others tell us unless something seems fishy. We see what we expect to see. Without adequate critical thinking, it's a formula for disaster. A respected psychology journal published a study in which subjects walking through dirty streets were more likely to think racist thoughts. Had the study--which turned out to be fake--reached the opposite conclusion, the editors might have paid more attention. We also tend to accept fascinating stories without question. Told that Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg are college dropouts who became billionaires and then asked if dropouts are more likely to strike it rich, most subjects answer yes. In fact, nearly all billionaires are college graduates. The authors promote Ronald Reagan's dictum about negotiating with the Soviet Union: "Trust, but verify." Readers will agree but also admit that we readily distrust statements that contradict our beliefs and accept without question information we agree with. The authors present a delightful parade of fakery in which scammers compete with equally dishonest entrepreneurs, scientists, journalists, and politicians, with special attention to the psychologists. As to the "What We Can Do About It" in the title, Simons and Chabris prescribe easy, common-sense rules, not-so-easy-to-implement but excellent advice on researching dubious claims, and repeated warnings to question our deeply held beliefs and distrust gut feelings. An outstanding guide to nonsense for critical readers.
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