Book Titles

…a communicator who references a weakness early on is seen as more honest.

One protective tactic we can use against authority status is to remove its element of surprise.

By turning to the evidence for authority status… we avoid the major pitfalls of automatic deference.

To defend ourselves against misleading appeals containing ersatz authorities, we should always ask, Is this authority truly an expert? We shouldn’t presume we are too smart to be tricked by mere symbols of authority.

Authorities, even the best informed, may not present their information honestly to us; therefore, we need to consider their trustworthiness in the situation.

Even knowledgeable authorities in a field will not persuade us until we are satisfied their messages represent the facts faithfully.

…research show[s] that especially under conditions of risk and uncertainty, people are intensely motivated to make choices designed to avoid losing something of value…

As a rule, if an item is rare or becoming rare, it is viewed as more valuable.

…imperfections that would otherwise make for rubbish make for prized possessions when they bring along an abiding scarcity.

…abundance is the opposite of scarcity and, consequently, presenting an item in abundance reduces its perceived value.