Understanding Scams 101

"In this 2022 episode, host Bob Sullivan welcomes special guest Alexis Conran. Conran’s insight into the mind of a con man comes from acting as one on the popular BBC show The Real Hustle. On the series, Conran, an actual trained magician, and his team perpetrate scams on unsuspecting consumers and then reveal the crimes to the victims (now in the hundreds), all in the name of educating the public. Conran discusses what he’s learned about the criminal mindset and what he has identified as the elements of deception."

Click on this link for the podcast.

To Fight Health Disinformation, Focus On Low Expertise

"Disinformation is false information spread intentionally, and it is particularly harmful for public health. We conducted three preregistered experiments (N = 1,568) investigating how to discredit dubious health sources and disinformation attributed to them. Experiments 1 and 2 used cancer information and recruited representative U.S. samples. Participants read a vignette about a seemingly reputable source and rated their credibility. Participants were randomly assigned to a control condition or interventions that (a) corrected the source’s disinformation, (b) highlighted the source’s low expertise, or (c) corrected disinformation and highlighted low expertise (Experiment 2). Next, participants rated their belief in the source’s disinformation claims and rerated their credibility. We found that highlighting low expertise was equivalent to (or more effective than) other interventions for reducing belief in disinformation. Highlighting low expertise was also more effective than correcting disinformation for reducing source credibility, although combining it with correcting disinformation outperformed low expertise alone (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 extended this paradigm to vaccine information in vaccinated and unvaccinated subgroups. A conflict-of-interest intervention and 1-week retention interval were also added. Highlighting low expertise was the most effective intervention in both vaccinated and unvaccinated participants for reducing belief in disinformation and source credibility. It was also the only condition where belief change was sustained over 1 week, but only in the vaccinated subgroup. In sum, *highlighting a source’s lack of expertise is a promising option for fact-checkers and health practitioners to reduce belief in disinformation and perceived credibility."

https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2025-19881-005.html

*The US Republican Party is a major source of disinformation on MANY topics. (https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/11/trump-disinformation-immigrants-storm-00183378)

Anxiety And Elections

"Evan Osnos is a staff writer at the New Yorker, where his work spans everything from national politics to foreign affairs. Just days before the election, Osnos joins Preet to talk about the big questions in American political culture: What does patriotism mean in a divided country? How should we confront cruelty? And is there still room for empathy in our politics?"

Click on the link below for a thoughtful, evidence-based podcast on what is stressing and dividing the US:

Election Anxiety, Anyone?

Dependence On Fossil Fuels Is An Addiction

"In this episode, I’m venturing into new territory by discussing the environmental crisis with Dr. Roger Gottlieb, author of “The Sacrifice Zone.” Dr. Gottlieb offers a powerful perspective, arguing that avoidance and denial are the greatest environmental threats we face. He draws a compelling comparison between humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels and addiction, highlighting the challenges of inspiring action on climate change and overcoming feelings of powerlessness."

Click on the link below for more:

What would an environmental saint look like?

Why Humanity Must Overcome Religion | Carl Sagan

"In this video, Carl Sagan explores the vastness of the universe, the power of science, and the limitations of religious belief. He emphasizes the importance of skepticism, evidence, and the scientific method in shaping humanity’s future while questioning the role of faith and mythology in understanding our place in the cosmos."

 

Click on this link for a video compilation of some of Carl Sagan's more famous quotes, leading to the conclusion that humanity's most common and dangerous false belief must be marginalized for humanity to survive.

Herd Mentality: Humanity's Achilles Heel

Herd Mentality: a psychological phenomenon that describes the tendency of people to conform to the beliefs or behaviors of a group they are part of. It can be seen in many aspects of life. (AI Overview)

Identity Politics And Chimpanzees

Cooperation is better than domination - - -

"The dark side of identity politics occurs when the dominant race/religion/gender (in today’s America that’s white Christian men) identifies people who aren’t part of their group as an 'other' and uses this otherness as a rallying cry to enlist members of the powerful in-group against the 'outsiders.' 

"This is what the GOP has been doing for years! Ever since 1968, when Richard Nixon picked up the white racist vote that Democrats abandoned in 1964/1965 when LBJ pushed the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act through Congress."

Click on the link below to understand that MAGA equals Chimpanzee behavior:

How Republicans Get You To Cheer For Murder 

A Reminder: "Wellness" Is Bait Used By Pseudoscience

"The world of mental healthcare is very much caveat emptor: buyer beware. Today, people looking to care for their mental health face a market with at least 600 “brands” of psychotherapy—and counting. Most are ineffective, and many could be harmful. The $5.6 trillion dollar wellness industry includes countless unregulated providers of mental health services looking to exploit people’s financial and emotional vulnerabilities. 

"Jonathan Stea, a clinical psychologist who regularly deals with some of society’s most vulnerable people. Having seen so many of his patients hurt by pseudoscience, Stea is on a mission to expose its harm and protect the public from mental health misinformation. He’ll discuss and debunk the predatory pseudoscience and grift of the multi-trillion-dollar wellness industry and point us toward a better way to take care of our mental health."

Click on the link below for an expose of the poorly regulated mental health industry:

Saving Your Mental Health from the Wellness Industry

Memory And The Bible

"Did this psych student from the University of Wilmington prove Frank Turek to be 'patently false' about impact events? Watch me watch Frank to unpack the heart of Frank's argument and the importance of identifying the distinction between major and minor details."

Click on the link below to understand that our memories of "Impact Events" are flawed:

Psych Student Tells Christian Apologist He's Wrong

The Disease Of Anti-Immigration Continues To Spread

"Border security around the world continues to take turns for the dark and dystopian as right-wing sentiment against migrants and refugees continues to escalate to the extreme."

Click on the link below for a 2-hour in-depth podcast addressing the rational and irrational fear of "The Other."

Migrants and Refugees on Fortress Earth: Our politicized, fortified, industrialized borders in the US and Europe.

Focus On The Present & Future, Not The Past

 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/principle-4-focus-present-future-past-josia-nakash

I'm Not Okay, You're Not Okay, But That's Okay

 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-dance-connection/201203/im-not-okay-youre-not-okay-and-thats-okay

Imagine A World Without Religion

"There has seldom been a war that religion did not support.

"Scholars say that before the rise of patriarchal religions, human beings lived fairly peaceably in kinship-based communities under matriarchs who established a more tolerant morality than the later, father-worshiping kind.

"Pre-patriarchal cultures were very indulgent of their children, giving them much physical affection and little punishment. They also tended to be permissive about physical pleasures and sexuality. There were no homosexuality taboos, no concubinage, no prostitution. The sexes had equal status although the families were matrilocal and matrilineal. Most property was owned by the women, whose life-giving magic was considered essential to fertility in general. Descent was reckoned only through mothers, among people who had not yet understood biological fatherhood. There was no caste system and no full-time military. Religion was some variant of nature worship with no strict codes, a Mother Goddess being primary and her consorts secondary. Such cultures were generally nonviolent and valued spontaneity, humor, and sensual enjoyments."

Click on the link below for more information that you probably were not aware of:

https://freethoughtnow.org/religion-has-always-supported-war/

Trump Is A Classic Narcissist (Mic-Drop)

The following is a comment made on one of my Facebook posts by a friend:

- - - - - - - - -

I find it interesting that Cons Repubs didn't see in 2015 (coming down the elevator) that Trump was a showman, a conman, and a compulsive serial LIAR. Whatever he says, think the opposite is the truth.

The fact is both are older men, the difference is Biden is sane (with a few verbal gaffs) and Trump is insane. The problem on the right is that Trump supporters have no clue that he is dangerous and why.

Trump was born missing brain matter. Trump's parents knew he was abnormal and because they were not equipped to handle him, off to a military-style school he went. Of course, nothing could help him unless he had a brain transplant which was not possible 77 years ago. Trump admitted to one of his biographers that he is the same as when he was 6 years old. Great, a 6-year-old who can push the "red button" or sell our secrets to the highest bidder!

https://theweek.com/.../donald-trump-tells-biographer-hes...

"For patients with narcissism, this region of the cerebral cortex was markedly reduced in thickness compared to the control group."

"Our data shows that the amount of empathy is directly correlated to the volume of gray brain matter of the corresponding cortical representation in the insular region, and that the patients with narcissism exhibit a structural deficit in exactly this area," states Dr. Röpke, commenting on the findings."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/rel.../2013/06/130619101434.htm

"Pathological narcissism associated with reduced frontal cortex thickness in the brain."

https://www.psypost.org/pathological-narcissism.../

Trump is an arrogant, ignorant, pathetic paranoid psychopath, a malignant narcissist, a pathological serial LIAR, (which he cannot help due to his tiny unevolved brain), a conman, a bigot, a misogynist, a cheater, a thief, and more. He is considered a Dark Triad, the most despised of the personality disorders

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/dark-triad

If he hadn't inherited his family's fortune, which he squandered because he is NOT a good business man...

https://www.latimes.com/.../trump-business-partners...

Many narcissists know they are ignorant and unable to learn. They are reactors. All they do is yell, threaten, and sue others. If Trump didn't come from a wealthy family, he would live under a bridge somewhere. Because of his brain problem, he has never had a job with a boss/supervisor over him because he doesn't like anyone telling him what to do. After all, when you believe you can be the God of the Planet, you are perfect. Perfectly nuts! Hitler crazy!

Narcissists cannot ever accept any losses in life as it is a monumental blow to their already weak ego, hence, the Big Lie that the election was rigged/stolen from him. He blames everyone for whatever goes wrong, it's never him at fault and he never apologizes as when you believe you are perfect, why would there be a need to do so?! He does not need repentance. And, he is a Christian in family name only. He is an "actor" who mimics//mirrors others. You are being played! He needed support to run for office and the Evangelical Christian leaders have been coaching him all along. If they stopped, Trump would melt away like the Wicked Witch did. Trump appears as he does because of those who need to put fear into others, like religion does with help from other LIARS like FOX, OAN, NewsMax, etc.

"Despite being on the member rolls, Trump never showed. Not to Bible study ― and not even to a service, according to (Pastor) Lewicki.

“I assure you, he had the ‘option’ to come to Bible study. He never ‘opted’ in,” Lewicki wrote. “Nor did he ever actually enter the church doors. Not one time.”

https://www.huffpost.com/.../former-marble-collegiate...

Nationalism teaches people to hate those they never even met. America First was a spinoff of Hitler's Germany First. The borders of any country are man-made or by tectonic plate movement.
If it comes to the point that Biden can't do the job, we have a VP at the ready. So is it that some Americans don't like the possibility of a woman of color leading a nation, hmm.

People who laugh at this post demonstrate their ignorance of psychological problems (brain/mind) and that they are unable to debunk the science. Instead, what they do is post ad hominem attacks, but that doesn't bother me as I understand where it comes from.

Trump supporters are in the Cult of Evangelical Christianity and Trump.

P.S. Pence lost his honesty and integrity as he went along with Trump while in office! Once MAGAs sought to hang him he said he didn't agree with Trump, a complete wuss. The GOP has been taken over by the whacko Evangelical Christians like MTG. Her ignorance is embarrassing.

Most members of the Trump family are shameless grifters, con-artists. If you are unable or unwilling to see the truth about what a malignant narcissist is, Congratulations, you're the mark!!!

An Interesting Science-Based Stress Reducer

"What does it mean to 'put things into perspective'? It's expounded on from all corners of the internet, serving as the go-to mantra for self-help gurus. But as a behavioral scientist, I'm not sold. In most cases, it's a vague, blanket-style statement that has little practical meaning. It doesn't do much at all to reduce a person's anxiety. And anxiety, we know, is best resolved through actionable coping-based tactics.

"The emotionally intelligent see valuable insights in this four-word phrase. They see what it really means when you say 'put things into perspective.' It begins with the brain."

Click on this link for a brief presentation of the details.

The Need For Appealing To Emotions When Communicating Science

"Although it’s of course always better to frame an argument or present research in an objective, rational matter, people have a tendency to respond well to appeal to emotion. In this sense, presenting scientific research as something that can be evocative, powerful, and emotional is, in my belief, a good tactic to get the general public invested in science. Getting people to care about our research, our study species, and our findings is a difficult task but one that is absolutely necessary for the longevity and development of science at both the national and global levels.

"Pretending the science is emotionless and apathetic is counterproductive to the very things that drove us to do the science in the first place. Although we should attempt to be aware of, and distance, our emotions from the objective, data-based analysis of our research, admitting and demonstrating our passions (and why we feel so passionate) is critical in distilling science into the general population. Science should be done rationally and objectively but driven by emotional characteristics such as wonder, curiosity, and fascination."

Click on the links below for more insight into the need to use emotion to enthuse the general public about science. After all, humans first evolved by surviving using instinct, intuition, and emotion. Science shows us that these processes are BASIC within our psyche and science-based thinking is a late development that is more difficult and many times presents uncomfortable results:

Emotional science: passion, spirituality and curiosity

Confessions of a Real Life Scientist: The Thrill of Learning

https://www.ecrea.eu/page-18206/7356944

https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2002484118?doi=10.1073%2Fpnas.2002484118

https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/issue/view/168

Neoliberalism, Bullying, And Inequality

"New research is linking the kind of schoolyard bully attitude to neoliberalism. Can we create an America where bullying doesn’t lead people to power over anything?"

Click on the link below for a short video presenting the link between bullying and neoliberalism, a political approach that favors free-market capitalism, deregulation, and reduction in government spending.

Science Proves What's Wrong With America’s Democracy!

Homelessness And Policing

"Police often are the first (and sometimes the only) point of government contact for persons experiencing homelessness (PEH). Although it has been common for police to rely on traditional law enforcement powers in dealing with homelessness, many agencies have moved away from arrest-focused methods in favor of approaches that are designed to foster positive relationships with PEH, assess individual needs of each person or area, and guide homeless or unsheltered individuals to the services they require.

"To better understand the potential challenges of the law enforcement response to homelessness, the RAND Corporation and the Police Executive Research Forum, on behalf of the National Institute of Justice, convened a workshop of practitioners and researchers to discuss current law enforcement responses to homelessness and identify the highest-priority needs to support and improve existing efforts. During this meeting, four major themes were identified. First, there is a common set of factors underlying homelessness that law enforcement can address. Second, homelessness and overall health and wellness are deeply intertwined issues that should be treated together. Third, effective responses require the collaboration of stakeholders across governments, the private sector, and the community. Finally, acquiring and sharing data is necessary to understand the nature and scope of homelessness in each jurisdiction and to measure the effect of any implemented strategies. All four of these themes are vital to understanding the current challenges confronting the implementation of innovative police responses to homelessness."

Click on the link below for the details:

The Law Enforcement Response to Homelessness 

Donald J Trump: The Dullest Knive In The Drawer (BUT - - -)

"But hold on. I ask myself: How could Trump have become president, and now clinch the Republican nomination for the presidency for a third time, if he doesn’t have something in the brain bank? Even if Trump doesn’t read, can’t follow a logical argument, and has the attention span of a fruit fly, I keep believing he must have some intelligence.

"Well, it turns out there’s another form of intelligence, called 'emotional intelligence.'

"Emotional intelligence is a concept developed by two psychologists, John Mayer of the University of New Hampshire and Yale’s Peter Salovey, and popularized by Dan Goleman in his 1996 book of the same name.

"Mayer and Salovey define emotional intelligence as the ability to do two things: 'understand and manage our own emotions,' and 'recognize and influence the emotions of others.'

"True, Trump hasn’t displayed much capacity for the first. He’s thin-skinned, narcissistic, and vindictive. As dozens of Republican foreign policy experts have put it: 'He is unable or unwilling to separate truth from falsehood. He does not encourage conflicting views. He lacks self-control and acts impetuously. He cannot tolerate criticism.'

"Okay, but what about Mayer and Salovey’s second aspect of emotional intelligence — influencing the emotions of others?

"This is where Trump’s brain outperforms the brains of ordinary mortals. He knows how to manipulate people. He has an uncanny ability to discover their emotional vulnerabilities — their fears, anxieties, prejudices, and darkest desires — and use them for his own purposes.

"To put it another way, Trump is an extraordinarily talented conman."

Click on the link below for the full picture of his stupidity:

Seriously, again, how dumb is Trump?

Cults: A Hard Nut To Crack

"A few years ago, I did a video about cults and predicted that we live in conditions that make cults thrive. Today, a few years later, that seems to be the case, with cult activity skyrocketing not just in the US but worldwide. Today we look at what’s causing this problem, and what you can do if a friend or loved one goes a little too far down the rabbit hole."

Click on the links below for some advice against this major problem that notoriously is difficult to attack:

How To Deprogram A Cult Member

Welcome To The Golden Age Of Cults