

#2518
Mentioned in 15 episodes
When Prophecy Fails
Book • 1956
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.
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






















Mentioned in 15 episodes
Mentioned by Marty Makary when discussing cognitive dissonance and its application in the medical community.

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

when discussing the psychology of cult members after a prophecy fails.


John Lisle

296 snips
#2419 - John Lisle
Mentioned by 

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


David McRaney

166 snips
301 - Cognitive Dissonance - Part Two
Mentioned by 

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


David McRaney

149 snips
300 - Cognitive Dissonance - Part One
Mentioned by 

as the book containing the famous case study of social psychology.


Travis View

31 snips
When “When Prophecy Fails” Fails (E350)
Mentioned as the basis for Leon Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance, focusing on a UFO cult.

13 snips
Episode 90: Cognitive dissonance
Mentioned by 

when discussing failure prophecy and cognitive dissonance.


Jesse Cox

13 snips
Midweek Mini - Jesse Reminds Us Time Isn't Real
Erwähnt von 

im Zusammenhang mit dem Scheitern von Prophezeiungen und kognitiver Dissonanz.


Richard David Precht

11 snips
AUSGABE 136 (Früher war alles besser - oder?)
Mentioned by the host, who says it's a criminally underrated book that investigates why apocalyptic prophecies persist despite transparent disappointment.

11 snips
Climate Apocalypticism In and Against the World with Jakub Kowalewski
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

as a book that was discussed in the previous episode.

Stuart Ritchie

Episode 91: Entangled Life and the wood wide web
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

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

Ayala Fader

Ayala Fader: How Do Haredi Jews Deal With Religious Doubt? [OTD 3/3]
Mentioned as the book that Leon Festinger and his team published after infiltrating the doomsday cult.

324 - Cognitive Dissonance - Part One (rebroadcast)
Recommended by 

to illustrate how people reformulate beliefs when prophecies fail.


Diana Walsh Pasulka

Diana Pasulka: Beyond the stars
Mentioned as a 1956 classic psychological study about a doomsday alien cult.

284: When Prophecy-Science Fails (w/Thomas Kelly)
Mentioned by 

when discussing a study on cults.


Chase Hughes

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

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


Richard Spence

Weaponized Magic: Aleister Crowley to MK Ultra
Mentioned by 

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


Michael Shermer

492: Michael Shermer | Why We Believe Weird Things
Recommended by ![undefined]()

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

Ben McKenzie

Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud (with Ben McKenzie)
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

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

Jack Posobiec

Blue Sky Liberals Call For Trump to Be Assassinated
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

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

Jack Posobiec

THE UNHMANS THANKSGIVING SPECIAL





