Outrage 19 – What do scams and outrage porn have in common? – Christopher Chabris

In this episode, David interviews Chris Chabris about his book "Nobody's Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What to Do About It." They discuss the cognitive habits that make us susceptible to scams and outrage, and how to avoid falling for misinformation and manipulation. They explore the concept of focus and what's missing, the limitations of memory, the power of precision and repetition, and the truth bias that influences our beliefs. Chris emphasizes the importance of seeking diverse perspectives, questioning information, and being aware of our cognitive limitations.

Key Takeaways:

1. Our focus and attention can make us susceptible to scams and manipulation.
2. Memory is fallible and doesn't work like a video camera or hard drive.
3. Precision and repetition can make false information seem more believable.
4. Worst-case predictions and illusory truth can stoke fear and outrage.
5. Truth bias leads us to automatically tag information as true, making us vulnerable to misinformation.

Quotes:

• "The failure to notice people in gorilla suits is a natural byproduct of our ability to focus our attention." - Dan Simons
• "Looking isn't the same as seeing; we have to focus attention to become aware of something." - Dan Simons
• "Manipulating focus and relying on people not to ask what's missing is a prime tool of those trying to get us outraged." - Chris Chabris
• "Precision and repetition increase our belief in information, even if it's false." - Chris Chabris
• "Our tendency is to tag incoming information as true, making it easier to believe false claims." - Chris Chabris

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Show Notes:
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Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.

Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.

Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.