How Do You Know if You're a Bull Shooter?

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The first question that we need to ask ifif we have a chance to communicate with the potential bullsheoter is, what exactly is it that you're saying? And they'll already start to clean it up for you. If you ask how, you'll get a more concrete level of control. People will tell you if they have any readily available evidence from memory,. or that they can get their hands on. T, they'll offer it. Nd, ind most often will sort of reduce the confidence that they actually have, because people oftentimes overestimate what it is that they know.

Bullshit is the foundation of contaminated thinking and bad decisions that leads to health consequences, financial losses, legal consequences, broken relationships, and wasted time and resources. No matter how smart we believe ourselves to be, we’re all susceptible to bullshit — and we all engage in it. While we may brush it off as harmless marketing sales speak or as humorous, embellished claims, it’s actually much more dangerous and insidious. It’s how Bernie Madoff successfully swindled billions of dollars from even the most experienced financial experts with his Ponzi scheme. In episode # 207, Michael Shermer speaks with experimental social psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Wake Forest University, John Petrocelli about his research that examines the causes and consequences of bullshit and bullshitting in the way of better understanding and improving bullshit detection and disposal. Petrocelli provides invaluable strategies not only to recognize and protect yourself from everyday bullshit, but to accept your own lack of knowledge about subjects and avoid engaging in bullshit just for societal conformity.