The Psychology of lying to one's self and OPM Charity


Posted On: Wednesday - January 11th 2023 5:54PM MST
In Topics: 
  General Stupidity  Economics  ctrl-left  Scams

I came upon this quick talk about an experiment with dice and human psychology the other day. There is more to the video before this portion, an analysis of just what the hell was the deal inside the head of Theranos Gold Dust Woman and bullshitter Elizabeth Holmes.

That's all over with. The lady is in prison for a few years with lots of sympathy due to her having a child. The elite virtue-signalling idiots who put the big bucks into her business probably made it back by now screwing over the working man. She did talk weirdly, but in prison she probably talks a lot more sweetly and wears orange instead of black, which really does match her hair a lot better ...

This post is not about her though. The guy talking, Dan Ariely, is a Professor of Psychology at Duke University in North Carolina. One might call him a Behavioral Economist, per the video notes. That's pretty interesting stuff. This video is only 3 minutes long. The results of his simple 2 experiments are pretty interesting:



What do you think? Here's what I get out of it.


First experiment: It's pretty easy to remember whether you picked "top" or "bottom" for the amount of money you deserve, that is, if you don't lie the researcher or to yourself. Are the subjects that get way way ahead of the average expected payout lying to themselves or lying to the researcher? It can't be both. If they really convince themselves that "yeah, I picked top this time", then they have managed to lie to themselves but not the researcher.

Though directly lying to the researcher is based on greed, the cognitive dissonance that has one lying to oneself is still based on greed here.

OTOH, I see a flaw in the methodology involving memory. After 10 times or so, might you not forget what your pick was this time around, confusing it with last time? I think I might.

Second experiment: When donating OPM (Other People's) Money to charity, the virtue-signalling effect is greater than the greed effect seen in the 1st experiment. Not only that, but it feeelz so much better to cheat for a good cause, truth be damned, that you don't trigger the lie detector.

That's what we see today in the nicer of the ctrl-left crowd. Being nice and giving out money, but, no, not one's own, of course, is more important to them than the truth. The truth won't come back and bite them in Professor Ariely's experiment. In the real world, it will eventually, unfortunately taking down the rest of society with them.

Comments:
Dieter Kief
Thursday - January 12th 2023 5:19AM MST
PS
The most impressive part for me is the lie detector part. - - - You're lying!
- - No, I'm not!

But to connect such insights directly with doom, Mod. is th apocalyptic tad over the top - and a little weak on the confidence side. The world is everything that can go wrong - but - in the end - - doesn't... (Basis for Kief's axiom of the survival of the stupidest).

This is the eternal Apocalyptical conundrum: If the past Apocalypse - touters were right: Why are we here?
Fun expalnation - the funniest I know of: Because they touted the Apocalyptical horn so fierecely. - Haha: Now I laugh about my own joke, if you don't mind, peakin'freakin'stupidity folks.
The Truth Is Out There
Thursday - January 12th 2023 4:58AM MST
PS Colonel Jessup was right, this society can't handle the truth and the Potemkin freedom fries it takes a village would grind to a halt if it was suddenly introduced.
The Milgram experiment is a classic study of human nature and what would AI do in that situation?
Would it go with the electrocution shock level?
Adam Smith
Wednesday - January 11th 2023 9:13PM MST
PS: It's a little unbelievable...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqn4pYyJz40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEmCQzueyEQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR81VZXVR6U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIAXIubSTkc

The Alarmist
Wednesday - January 11th 2023 8:06PM MST
PS

Holmes was a piker compared to SBF, but he only had to sleep with a mouse, while she had to put out to several Jabba the Hut looking old guys.
Moderator
Wednesday - January 11th 2023 7:44PM MST
PS: Re your video, I found it amazing that even the new guy could pull this off. It's a bit unbelievable to me. Was the lady going to pay the business back?
Adam Smith
Wednesday - January 11th 2023 6:38PM MST
PS: Good evening, Mr. Moderator,

So, I cannot find a picture of Elizabeth Holmes in a prison jumpsuit or in handcuffs. But this comment really isn't about her...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkHePIahXEs


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