What Is Credulity? 10 Key Ideas About This Phenomenon
What is credulity? Broadly speaking, it consists of the ease we have in believing what others tell us. A cognitive scientist, Hugo Mercier, drew a total of 10 very interesting conclusions in relation to this phenomenon. According to him, we are much less gullible than has been believed until now.
This author talks about the little influence exerted on us by the massive persuasion that comes to us from advertising, politics, religion… and on the other hand, he mentions the influence that people close to us do exert, and in the that we trust.
Don’t miss this article if you want to know why, always according to Mercier, in reality We believe we are much less than we have always thought
Credulity consists of the ease that people have to believe the things that others tell us. Logically, there are different degrees of credulity, since not all of us are equally “gullible” (that is, there are people who believe everything, for example, and very skeptical people).
Hugo Mercier, a cognitive scientist at the Jean Nicod Institute in Paris, co-author of the book The Enigma of Reason (“The enigma of reason”), decided to study the phenomenon of credulity.
According to this researcher, we are not as gullible as we have been led to believe until now, and neither political campaigns, nor advertising, nor religion, nor, in short, attempts at mass persuasion, influence us as much as has really been thought until now. the moment.
Beyond this first conclusion, Mercier drew up to 10 conclusions regarding credulity They are the following.
1. “I am not gullible, but the other person is”
Mercier’s first conclusion about gullibility, through his research, is the following: people believe that we are not gullible, but nevertheless, we think that others are. In social psychology, this phenomenon is called the third-person effect
Thus, through him, we believe that we do not allow ourselves to be influenced by advertisements, by political leaders… but that others are. What if this, unconsciously, makes us even more influenceable…? (because we are not “on guard”). All can be.
2. People are not gullible
In line with the above, Mercier also believes that people are not gullible, and that they are not easy to deceive.
Mercier alludes to different experimental psychology studies linked to gullibility, which demonstrate how people We do not believe everything they tell us, but rather the opposite ; We consider different variables that lead us to decide to what extent we should believe the other person or not (for example, we believe more things that come from informed, competent, and also attractive people…).
Furthermore, if what they tell us does not fit with what we think (with our beliefs), a priori we reject it.
3. Low power of political propaganda
According to Mercier, and also based on existing studies to date, the propaganda issued in totalitarian regimes does not modify our beliefs.
According to him, if we adhere to an extremist political party or leader, for example, it is because we have an interest in it, not because we have been “convinced” of anything (that is, not because of our gullibility).
On the other hand, it also suggests that political propaganda, in any case, accentuates our beliefs (gives them strength), but does not radically change them
4. The failure of political campaigns
The next conclusion that Mercier draws in relation to credulity is that political campaigns fail in their attempt to persuade or convince citizens to vote for one party or another.
At most, they exert influence when voters have to decide beyond “right or left.” (and this influence is moderate). As always, Mercier draws on research findings, citing a recent meta-analysis that examines the effect of political campaigns on US citizens. This meta-analysis reflects previous results.
5. Failure of advertising as well
Advertising is another tool that could exert its effect on our credulity. Furthermore, in general, many more millions of euros are invested in advertising than in political campaigns.
Well, another conclusion that Mercier reaches is that the effect of advertising on our decisions is also not relevant According to him, based on different studies (and some already very old), advertising messages are lost along the way, because they reach the heads of people without credulity.
6. “Stupid” people are more impressionable… false
Another very interesting conclusion from Mercier, regarding the phenomenon of gullibility, is that presupposing that “dumb” people (or people with a lower intellectual level) are more influenceable is totally false. We insist that all this is according to this author.
Furthermore, he adds that, in order to influence people, what we must do is not prevent them from thinking, but precisely the opposite, stimulate them to think more, offering them reasons to believe that we are right.
7. Myths, rumors… harmless
Another idea about credulity, according to the same scientist, is that Most false beliefs (or even absurd beliefs) are actually harmless
We talk, specifically, about “hoaxes”, legends, rumors, myths… according to Mercier, we believe that they influence us, and we believe “that we believe them”, but in reality they do not influence our thoughts or behaviors.
8. We transmit myths even if they do not influence us
Mercier’s eighth conclusion in relation to credulity is the following: although myths or legends do not influence our behavior, they do influence one of them; in verbal behavior. We refer to the fact of transmitting these myths or legends, by word of mouth, even if they do not really influence us.
9. People are rationally skeptical
Another of Mercier’s ideas is this: people are not stubborn, they are very skeptical from a rational point of view.
So, If they don’t offer us good reasons (powerful reasons) to change our minds or to think in a certain way, we don’t do it On the other hand, if they give us good reasons (especially close people), we are “easily” influenced.
10. Information overload makes us unbelievers
The scientist Hugo Mercier’s latest conclusion about credulity is that we need more information to be influenced, and not less, as has always been thought. It is a reality that we are overloaded with information, and that we are bombarded with it everywhere on a daily basis (without going any further, from advertising or social networks).
Well, not being able to classify said information, nor locate it, nor reflect on it… because We do not have time (it is impossible to do it, there is too much!) nor motivation to do it we simply remain installed in our skepticism, and we do not accept it as valid (we do not let it influence us).
