A great piece - Politicians
Talk Nonsense Because It Works by Cass R. Sunstein
Sunstein notes:
“Pennycook and his
colleagues also investigated the individual characteristics that lead people to
regard baloney as profound. Not surprisingly, they found that people are more
receptive to it if they do less well on measures of analytical thinking, such
as numeracy and verbal intelligence. They also found that people are more open
to this stuff if they also hold paranormal beliefs, endorse alternative
medicine or accept conspiracy theories….
The paper downplays
an important reason for the effectiveness of this kind of thing, which is how
it makes people feel. Pseudo-profound statements work when they make people
feel that they are being given access to a deep secret: They produce a kind of
awe, even reverence, and so it’s all the better if the meaning of those statements
is unclear. When it is effective, political baloney makes people feel that they
are listening to someone firm, confident and strong. The vagueness of the
statement isn’t a problem; what matters is the favorable emotion that it
produces.”