Nicholas DiFonzo, a professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology who studies the psychology of rumors, said that the mass confusion over Mr. Jackson’s sudden death probably left people craving… continued…
Category Archives: Article
Blog: Ask Professor Nick
Exploring the Psychology of Rumors
How powerful is the rumor mill and why are rumors so easy to believe yet so difficult to quash? We’ll talk this hour with Psychologist Nicholas DiFonzo, whose new book is “The Watercooler Effect: A Psychologist Explores the Extraordinary Power of Rumors” (Avery,2008). Download MP3 File
Rumour Mill in Overdrive before US Election
Professor Nicholas DiFonzo, the author of “Water Cooler Effect” has his own explanation on why rumours are so popular with the American electorate at the moment… continued…
Time.com Q&A on Rumor
Here is a Time.com Q&A article I wrote this week covering a variety of rumor topics.
Shelf Awareness
Here’s a review of The Watercooler Effect from Shelf Awareness
Political Rumors in the US Presidential Election
This week I posted three blogs on the Penguin site on the topic of Political Rumors in the US Presidential Election. Please check them out.
2008 Election Rumors | NY Post Article
Read my brief analysis of the 2008 Election rumors in this NY Post article (Sunday September 14, 2008).
Inaccuracy of Anonymous Gossip Sites
[From an excellent former student of mine] Greetings, Professor– I hope this note finds you well. Congratulations (a little in advance) on your new book–it’s quite the testament to the significant body of knowledge you’ve acquired via your research. While reading RIT’s news, I happened across an article about your blog at profnick.com and thought […]
Obama’s Response to Rumors
In some recent interviews with press, I give the Obama campaign a high mark for his handling of false rumors. These include that he is a Muslim, that he swore his oath of Senate office on a Koran, and that he refuses to pledge allegiance to the flag. The rumors are interesting because they capitalize […]
Rumors And How to Manage Them
Did you know that the human mind can actually lead you to remember a false statement as true by hearing that it’s false? With the fast-paced lives we all lead, that oddly makes sense to me. I recently learned of Nick DiFonzo, Professor of Psychology at Rochester Institute of Technology, one of the leading experts […]