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Why Are Some People More Gullible Than Others?

posted by Fnord666 on Saturday April 01 2017, @12:39AM   Printer-friendly
from the I'll-tell-you-tomorrow dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

Gullibility occurs because we have evolved to deal with information using two fundamentally different systems, according to Nobel Prize winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman.

System 1 thinking is fast, automatic, intuitive, uncritical and promotes accepting anecdotal and personal information as true. This was a useful and adaptive processing strategy in our ancestral environment of small, face-to-face groups, where trust was based on life-long relationships. However, this kind of thinking can be dangerous in the anonymous online world.

System 2 thinking is a much more recent human achievement; it is slow, analytical, rational and effortful, and leads to the thorough evaluation of incoming information.

While all humans use both intuitive and analytic thinking, system 2 thinking is the method of science, and is the best available antidote to gullibility. So, education tends to reduce gullibility and those who receive scientific training in critical, sceptical thinking also tend to be less gullible and less easily manipulated.

Differences in trust can also influence gullibility. This may be related to early childhood experiences, with the idea that trust in infancy sets the stage for a lifelong expectation the world will be a good and pleasant place to live.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 3, Touché) by Snotnose on Saturday April 01 2017, @01:55AM (4 children)

    by Snotnose (1623) on Saturday April 01 2017, @01:55AM (#487424)

    No relation to the thread, but I like the color. Keep it.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 01 2017, @02:01AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 01 2017, @02:01AM (#487425)

    Traitor! Banish him to the green site!!!

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by martyb on Saturday April 01 2017, @03:04AM (1 child)

    by martyb (76) Subscriber Badge on Saturday April 01 2017, @03:04AM (#487440) Journal

    If you like it, and you have an account with SoylentNews you CAN keep it.

    (NOTE: During the entirety of April 1 (UTC), your personal preferences are being overridden, so there's no real way to test for sure until tomorrow.)

    1. Go to your preferences page [soylentnews.org] [soylentnews.org]
    2. Click on the "Homepage" tab at the top.
    3. Scroll down a little to the "Select Theme" drop-down list box,
    4. Select "NV" (pronounced "Envy"... aka "The Green Monster" of emotions).
    5. Scroll to the bottom of the page
    6. Click on the "Save" button.

    And that's all there is to it! Enjoy!

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    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 01 2017, @04:16AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 01 2017, @04:16AM (#487470)

      It didn't take too long to get the April Fools joke, but after a few hours it's wearing thin.
      This bright white background is killing me, normal choice is black background VT100, so restful and retro.

      Any chance we could have a different Fools for the second 12 hours of April 1 (GMT)?