People are more worried about being taken advantage of from other people who they view as either like subordinates to them, maybe an organization. The argument is if you end up in a scam type situation and you are the sucker, the feeling that that gives you is the feeling of having been essentially put down or you had one put over on you. And it's a way of putting the sucker sort of beneath the scammer on the hierarchy.
No one wants to feel like a sucker. In fact, the very thought of being one – of playing the fool – shapes our behavior in powerful ways.
But what if our fear causes us to make choices that aren’t good for us? Or worse, what if people weaponize our fear in order to dominate or disempower us?
Tess Wilkinson-Ryan has written a stunning book on the topic called, Fool Proof: How Fear of Playing the Sucker Shapes Our Selves and the Social Order and What We Can Do about It. A psychologist and law professor, Tess helps us understand what this fear is, why we have it, and how it plays out in law, politics, and everyday life. She also shares how to overcome it and make the decisions that are aligned with our goals.
It’s a book you’ll keep thinking about long after you’ve read it.
Episode Links
Breach is for Suckers
Transferring Trust: Reciprocity of Norms and Assignment of Contract
Moral Judgment and Moral Heuristics in Breach of Contract
Njinga of Angola: Africa’s Warrior Queen by Linda Heywood
The Team
Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.
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