I have $9 million in surplus funds I need to send to America, if you would let me park them in your savings account I would gladly cut you in for half. Please send me your bank info ASAP.
In fairness, we are better at detecting liars than other species. Except maybe dogs?
I do think that is how Trump fans think of Trump. Everyone in big business knows how to tell those little lies and it is expected and accepted. Knowing Trump is like that is better than having Hillary lie to your face and claim she is always telling the truth.
Nah. Fake throw that ball. They fall for it every time. Every damn time.
People do crazy, inexplicable, self-destructive shit all the time. We’re not remotely as rational as we mostly want to believe.
Also, witness testimony can be false without the witness lying-- I’m sure that’s the case with a large fraction of false testimony.
One day way back in law school, my Criminal Procedure class began as usual. Suddently a couple of people burst into the room, did some crazy stuff for about 20 seconds, then ran out. We were then asked to all write down specific points about what happened.
The accounts varied tremendously. And this was a group of 20-something students, in perfect lighting, with unobstructed views, no personal interest in the events and the ability to take notes. Somehow, we couldn’t agree on what happened.
The Professor’s day job was criminal defense attorney, and his point was that eyewitness testimony is somewhere between unreliable and complete bullshit. As far as I was concerned, he made his point.
There was an interesting study ( that I can’t find) that showed that juries being given only transcripts and not actually sitting through a trial will be more thoughtful and accurate when reaching a verdict. We are very influenced by people, sometimes wrongly.
Almost as if appearance, sex or race might have an effect, Amazing.
That seems to be pretty standard for law school, and the results are extraordinarily consistent.
I was at a poker game that got robbed. I thought it was a joke at first since one of the guy in a mask physically looked like a guy famous for practical jokes. It wasn’t until the blood flowed that I realized what was going on. The guy running the game was understandably upset that were 6 guys and 2 girl and only 3 unarmerd robbers we did nothing to help him. In truth, I was in shocked and no two recollection of what happened where particularly close which the cops said was common.
You must have missed the last election.
People are insanely shitty at detecting liars, because most people suck at it and don’t think anyone would have the balls to do it blatantly about serious things. Which is why conmen and the like are still a thing and always will be.
Humans are fairly good at detecting lies at the interpersonal/family/close circle level. Those talents were very valuable during the earlier eras of human society (and still are, at the personal level). Both deception and lie detection would be very adaptive in small group society.: gaining advantage or preventing disadvantage from communications within small groups.
What’s changed is larger scale society with both a much greater volume of communication for people to evaluate, as well as the specialization of labor in terms of propaganda, manipulation, etc.
Before mass society and human civilizations able to quickly change or damage the environment, there wasn’t that much adaptive advantage to having strong logic or critical thinking skills at the macro level. So at that level, humans are not very good at filtering propaganda, etc.
The good news is I believe critical thinking is really a skill more than an ability. It can be taught, at least to some degree, IMO. So, assuming we survive our current “mass gullibility moment” we can work on that in the future.
Four of you are lying.
Let’s say you have an election between one candidate who lies all the time, and the other who only lies when it’s convenient. What one question do you ask to figure out which is which?
If they realize they lied, do they have to kill themselves?
Nah, that look is one of intently trying to discern the presence of an actual soul and failing.
Is Pence allowed to be that close to a gay man without his wife nearby to protect his manhood?!
You mean Mama?