#3552

Mentioned in 10 episodes

When Prophecy Fails

Book • 1956

Stanley Schachter

This book chronicles the experience of a UFO cult in the Midwest that believed the world would be destroyed and its members would be saved by extraterrestrial beings.

The authors examine how the cult members reacted when their prophecy was disconfirmed, highlighting the psychological and social mechanisms that led to increased fervor and rationalization among the believers despite the failure of their predictions.

Mentioned by

Richard David Precht

Diana Walsh Pasulka

Michael Shermer

Mentioned in 10 episodes

Mentioned by Marty Makary when discussing cognitive dissonance and its application in the medical community.

#317 ‒ Reforming medicine: uncovering blind spots, challenging the norm, and embracing innovation | Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H.

Mentioned by

David McRaney

as the author of a book about cognitive dissonance, following his study of a doomsday cult.

301 - Cognitive Dissonance - Part Two

Mentioned by

David McRaney

as a landmark title in the history of psychology, based on a study of a doomsday cult.

300 - Cognitive Dissonance - Part One

Mentioned by

Jesse Cox

when discussing failure prophecy and cognitive dissonance.

Midweek Mini - Jesse Reminds Us Time Isn't Real

Mentioned by the host, who says it's a criminally underrated book that investigates why apocalyptic prophecies persist despite transparent disappointment.

Climate Apocalypticism In and Against the World with Jakub Kowalewski

Erwähnt von

Richard David Precht

im Zusammenhang mit dem Scheitern von Prophezeiungen und kognitiver Dissonanz.

AUSGABE 136 (Früher war alles besser - oder?)

Mentioned by

Ayala Fader

when discussing the sense of betrayal and the pain felt when one's ideology conflicts with reality.

Ayala Fader: How Do Haredi Jews Deal With Religious Doubt? [OTD 3/3]

Recommended by

Diana Walsh Pasulka

to illustrate how people reformulate beliefs when prophecies fail.

Diana Pasulka: Beyond the stars

Mentioned by

Chase Hughes

when discussing a study on cults.

333. Manipulation Expert: How You're Being Brainwashed! The Dating Checklist To Unmask ANY Psychopath!

Mentioned as the book that Leon Festinger and his team published after infiltrating the doomsday cult.

324 - Cognitive Dissonance - Part One (rebroadcast)

Mentioned by

Jack Posobiec

to illustrate the phenomenon of people doubling down on their beliefs even when faced with contradictory evidence.

Blue Sky Liberals Call For Trump to Be Assassinated

Mentioned as the basis for Leon Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance, focusing on a UFO cult.

Episode 90: Cognitive dissonance

Recommended by

Ben McKenzie

's therapist as a paper about cults and what happens when the cult leader predicts the world's going to end.

Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud (with Ben McKenzie)

Mentioned by

Richard Spence

as one of the first studies on what happens when a doomsday cult fails.

Weaponized Magic: Aleister Crowley to MK Ultra

Mentioned as a canonical account of an event that claimed a group doubled down on its beliefs and began recruiting.

[Linkpost] “Debunking ‘When Prophecy Fails’” by Matrice Jacobine

Mentioned by

Stuart Ritchie

as a book that was discussed in the previous episode.

Episode 91: Entangled Life and the wood wide web

Mentioned by

Jack Posobiec

in the context of explaining the psychological state of liberals who are facing the reality of their minority status.

THE UNHMANS THANKSGIVING SPECIAL

Mentioned by Jon when discussing the Seekers cult and their failed prophecy.

Episode 61: The Seekers

Mentioned by

Michael Shermer

when discussing the famous experiment that happened with the UFO cult back in 1954.

492: Michael Shermer | Why We Believe Weird Things

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