OK...this one is just freakin'' FASCINATING

[ksinger]

Why We Keep Falling for Financial Scams

I''m always interested in the "whys" of actions. This is a piece at the Wall Street Journal, a fascinating history of gullibility by Stephen Greenspan (no relation to Alan) a psychologist who specializes in gullibility AND who lost part of his life''s savings in the Madoff swindle. A great read!!

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Great read! Thanks for posting it!

 

[movie zombie]

an interesting read! thanks for the post!

movie zombie

 

[miraclesrule]

Awesome article. I just sent it to my daughter and SIL. It would also help to remind me that the concept can be applied to much more than financial investments, but politics and even dating.

 

[ksinger]

Date: 1/6/2009 12:30:54 AM
Author: miraclesrule
Awesome article. I just sent it to my daughter and SIL. It would also help to remind me that the concept can be applied to much more than financial investments, but politics and even dating.

Yeah, I see the political applications pretty clearly too.

Somewhere in all these piles of books, I think the DH has "Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds". And on my shelf, in case anyone needs a guide in how to be REALLY gullible AND give in to one''s darkest impulses all at the same time, I have a translation of "The Malleus Maleificarum".

 

[swimmer]

Thank you! saved as a reading for students!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Very interesting indeed. Sort of makes one want to move all their money to insured CD''s.

 

[MoonWater]

Great article which I of course had to pass on to THE BRAIN. Funny, but I was um, a bit tipsy when we had this conversation at his parents house and his dad was defending the investors a bit. The last paragraph sums up what I was trying to tell him. It''s not that I thought people were stupid for investing, it''s those that threw everything into one pot that I thought were more than, um...gullible.

 

[iheartscience]

Good one, Karen-thanks for the link!