Weird little tips

JoeTheJuggler · 8th July 2012, 08:41 AM

So I've noticed many scam come-ons that follow a fairly new pattern: using the phrase "weird little" or something similar.

For example, "The weird little tip that can give you flat abs". Or even something like, "The surprising food that will make you a superstud."

The idea, I think, is to make it sound like "we're not sure why this works, and it's a surprise even to us that it does, but it does!" I assume this somehow makes the come-on sound more credible. (I suspect many of these things are only selling clicks to other advertisers anyway.)

Anyone else noticed this? Any ideas on what exactly the psychology is that makes something like that more enticing?

I think it's based on the same idea as having a supposed "skeptic" give positive testimony. It's as if they have no interest in the claim working, but it does anyway. Wow--if they can convince someone like that, then it *must* be true?

I think this goes all the way back to a confidence man working in the street having a confederate who, it is claimed, he has never met before trying the product and giving a positive testimony.

Macgyver1968 · 8th July 2012, 08:47 AM

"Check out this neat trick a housewife discovered for whitening teeth!" I've noticed these type of ads too. I guess they work.

Marduk · 8th July 2012, 08:47 AM

Most recently seen on a google ad pretending that a stay at home mum had discovered a revolutionary tooth whitening method, that "the product confounded experts" presumably dentists
Turns out what she did was use the two leading products in the range at the same time, so there you have it a new method that consists of buying both the brand leaders and spending twice as much money
personally I find Tippex more than adequate
<<British

jimfish · 8th July 2012, 08:51 AM

The whole "I'm just a regular mom with three kids who discovered the one simple trick that they don't want you to know!" online ad schtick.

Appeals to the layman, I guess. Those who don't want to know how it works, only if it works, and as instantly as possible. "Get ripped in 2 weeks with this one simple rule!", etc. etc.

JoeTheJuggler · 8th July 2012, 08:54 AM

I get that it's part of a long and old tradition of this sort of thing, but I'm amazed how this sort of wording has become such a widespread fashion just lately. It's sort of like the copycat "reality" TV shows, I guess. There's a formula that sells, so everyone copies that formula.

Mongrel · 8th July 2012, 11:53 AM

I think it's part of the anti-intellectual schtick that seems to go hand in hand with low grade woo. By saying "A housewife\kindergarden teacher" discovered it they're also saying that "those scientist chaps didn't have a hand in this"

Voodoosix · 8th July 2012, 12:16 PM

Ancient Chinese secret huh?

haibut · 8th July 2012, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by Mongrel

I think it's part of the anti-intellectual schtick that seems to go hand in hand with low grade woo. By saying "A housewife\kindergarden teacher" discovered it they're also saying that "those scientist chaps didn't have a hand in this"

I've been seen a lot of those lately - google ads seems to often have them. The unusually placed adjectives look to me to just just be bad translation from whatever language the originator speaks - for example, I just saw "scary signs of depression".

Now, depression is unpleasant and debilitating and problematic but is anyone really scared of it like they might be of, say cancer or liver failure? I don't think so.

Of course I decided not to click the ad to investigate further!

Delvo · 8th July 2012, 06:46 PM

Well, of course it has to be weird. If it were to be expected, somebody would have thought of it by now.

JoeTheJuggler · 8th July 2012, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by Voodoosix

Ancient Chinese secret huh?

We need more Calgon!

JoeTheJuggler · 8th July 2012, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by Mongrel

I think it's part of the anti-intellectual schtick that seems to go hand in hand with low grade woo. By saying "A housewife\kindergarden teacher" discovered it they're also saying that "those scientist chaps didn't have a hand in this"

Yep. But that of course is only the conceit in fashion right now.

Other times it's been to pretend to be scientific. My favorite example of this has been bogus unsubstantiated claims about the effects of vitamins and supplements hidden behind the weasel word "supports". (As in, "supports concentration, memory, immune response," etc.)

Speaking of pretending to be scientific, my favorite ads that depended on the idea that no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public were some old "Spanish Fly" ads in the back of magazines back in the '60s and '70s. They included the words "Placebo!" and "Spurious Cure!" confident that their clientele would think those were good things to say about their product.

Bikewer · 8th July 2012, 07:38 PM

Every time I open my Yahoo mail account I get the "One weird trick" ads. Usually, "Cambridge scientists have discovered...."
How to sleep uninterrupted, how to better your love life, increase testosterone, etc, etc.

they usually show either a fairly attractive girl or a rather self-satisfied looking older man along the lines of "smilin' Bob" from the Enzyte ads.

ExMinister · 8th July 2012, 07:47 PM

I have seen these too. I agree it is probably supposed to sound like "Wow we can't believe this either but it really works!" Uh huh.

The ones I find irritating that I have been seeing a lot lately are the ones that say, "She has found out the secret to looking younger. Plastic surgeons hate her!" Or "She has found the secret to whiter teeth! Dentists hate her!"

Arrgh. Seriously, do people fall for that?

Ferguson · 8th July 2012, 07:55 PM

My favorite, I saw today:
"Language Professors are DOOMED!
Use this weird secret trick to learn a language in 10 days!"

Weird AND secret AND a trick!? I'm sold!

JoeTheJuggler · 9th July 2012, 07:59 AM

Originally Posted by ExMinister

I have seen these too. I agree it is probably supposed to sound like "Wow we can't believe this either but it really works!" Uh huh.

And don't you think that is sort of related to the old thing about testimonials from dis-interested (or even "skeptical") parties? It's as if the seller is posing as an outsider, having no stake in his own product.

Quote:

The ones I find irritating that I have been seeing a lot lately are the ones that say, "She has found out the secret to looking younger. Plastic surgeons hate her!" Or "She has found the secret to whiter teeth! Dentists hate her!"

Yeah, that's pretty disgusting. It assumes first that dentists and doctors will ever want for more patients, and that they would actually seek avoidable suffering for their patients.

Quote:

Arrgh. Seriously, do people fall for that?

These things reach a LOT of people, and even a sale to one in a million can add up, I suppose.

Careyp74 · 9th July 2012, 08:35 AM

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.p...ht=weird+trick

Originally Posted by Ferguson

My favorite, I saw today:
"Language Professors are DOOMED!
Use this weird secret trick to learn a language in 10 days!"

Weird AND secret AND a trick!? I'm sold!

You forgot the all important "The secret that so and so don't want you to know." In this case, language professors. I think they have a union or something.

JoeTheJuggler · 9th July 2012, 08:39 AM

Originally Posted by Careyp74

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.p...ht=weird+trick

Oh I missed that thread! Well, very happy to say GMTA in this case!

NoZed Avenger · 9th July 2012, 08:56 AM

Hit my paypal and I'll let you in on a strange little-known secret method of stopping these ads from appearing -- a method that the advertisers don't want you to know.

marplots · 9th July 2012, 09:07 AM

Everyone knows that all scientific discoveries were just happy accidents. It stands to reason that a few billion people on the planet, all consistently doing stupid things... well, one or two will hit on an unknown solution to an important problem. It's the new way to do science -- no real understanding involved, no expensive equipment or years of learning, just get out there and fiddle.

I am on Edison's path myself. I've already found a couple of thousand things that don't immediately make me wealthy. Like microwaving my money. But I'll keep trying. The weirder, the better!

Careyp74 · 9th July 2012, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by marplots

Everyone knows that all scientific discoveries were just happy accidents. It stands to reason that a few billion people on the planet, all consistently doing stupid things... well, one or two will hit on an unknown solution to an important problem. It's the new way to do science -- no real understanding involved, no expensive equipment or years of learning, just get out there and fiddle.

I am on Edison's path myself. I've already found a couple of thousand things that don't immediately make me wealthy. Like microwaving my money. But I'll keep trying. The weirder, the better!

Hey, even failures are success, you know what doesn't work. Also, for fuel efficiency, Sweet and Low works as well as sugar. You can add that to your list.

Beerina · 9th July 2012, 10:25 AM

Ok, a few years ago there were sites that promoted trivia and curiosities, while jamming popup ads when you clicked on the links. The links worked -- you just got ads with them. Fair enough.

They did things like, "ten errors in movies", "Do you know the female body?", and "top six things a woman should know about a man". Basically they were cool factoid and list aggregators.

I'm sure they did data mining -- which links worked best? -- and then started top-loading their lists with the most popular type.

A few years of evolution go by, and it's now all "This one wierd trick..." and "Did Hermione let something slip she shouldn't have?"

Places like CNN,which allow paid pseudo-article links, are just inheriting the descendants of this.

The one exception is "(some state) Mom discovers easy trick to ...", which seemed to originate in sidebar ads with some teeth whitening trick, which may have been legit, but now suggests local moms are like Indiana Jones, discovering reams of useful, ancient knowledge.

DallasDad · 9th July 2012, 11:08 AM

I can't be the only one to be disconcerted by seeing this topic immediately after reading one of the circumcision topics....

Careyp74 · 9th July 2012, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by DallasDad

I can't be the only one to be disconcerted by seeing this topic immediately after reading one of the circumcision topics....

I didn't think of that, but did wonder before clicking the thread what problem he was having with his nipples.

JoeTheJuggler · 9th July 2012, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by Careyp74

I didn't think of that, but did wonder before clicking the thread what problem he was having with his nipples.

But it did get you to look at the thread!

________

Just got a weird little spam e-mail: "3 sneaky hormones that are destroying your metabolism!"

Careyp74 · 10th July 2012, 05:59 AM

Originally Posted by JoeTheJuggler

But it did get you to look at the thread!

________

Just got a weird little spam e-mail: "3 sneaky hormones that are destroying your metabolism!"

Yes, if nothing else, but to fell better about my own weird little tips.

Milbrandt · 11th July 2012, 05:46 AM

Originally Posted by JoeTheJuggler

The idea, I think, is to make it sound like "we're not sure why this works, and it's a surprise even to us that it does, but it does!" I assume this somehow makes the come-on sound more credible. (I suspect many of these things are only selling clicks to other advertisers anyway.)

Anyone else noticed this? Any ideas on what exactly the psychology is that makes something like that more enticing?

I think it's based on the same idea as having a supposed "skeptic" give positive testimony. It's as if they have no interest in the claim working, but it does anyway. Wow--if they can convince someone like that, then it *must* be true?

I think you're right, but I also think it's more than that.
By claiming that it's a "secret" or "little known" fact/tip, people might get the idea that they have a chance to get some esoteric knowledge. It will make them one of the few people with that special bit of information.
The fact that lots of other people get the same ad, doesn't make that big of difference here I think. It's about giving people the feeling they're special (or could be special if they just click the link), not about the actual number of people who know it.

What I've also noticed is that it's often a tip to do something with much less effort than usually;
"Get skinny in a week"
"10 tips to play guitar like Jimi Hendrix in a month"
"3 Things you should say to a woman to make her want you"

You see, you just have to walk up to a woman, say the 3-line incantation and she's yours.
To think I spent all that time going out to dinner with her, giving her compliments and buying her presents. I could've saved a lot of time and money on that girl!

Why didn't anybody tell me this before?

O yeah, and I'll also stop working out and practicing playing the guitar. I'm just gonna give my money to the nice Internet-people who want to teach me the secrets of the universe and don't hold back any information from me.

JoeTheJuggler · 11th July 2012, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by Milbrandt

I think you're right, but I also think it's more than that.
By claiming that it's a "secret" or "little known" fact/tip, people might get the idea that they have a chance to get some esoteric knowledge. It will make them one of the few people with that special bit of information.

Good point.

Of course the best example of this has to be Rhonda Byrne's film and book called "The Secret".

No need for hard work or action--just want something hard enough and your desire will resonate with the universe and fame, fortune, romance will be yours. (Or send out bad vibes and you'll be punished, because we all know victims all deserve what they get. They secretly asked for it.)

I guess it'd never have sold if she called it, "Bald-faced Lie" or anything more honest than "The Secret".

The Simpsons lampooned it as "The Answer" in one episode.

ETA: Your point reminded me of something else: people like to feel special or unique no matter what. Quacks of different stripes (especially, for example, chiropractors) will frequently tell people they have something quirky or different about them: their legs are two different lengths (and easy thing to "show" by a subtle shift of the pelvis), for example. Or they have special allergies that only their quack method can detect. The most attractive psychic reading is to tell a mark that they too have some degree of psychic powers.

8th July 2012, 08:41 AM	#1
JoeTheJuggler Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: St. Louis Posts: 26,748	Weird little tips So I've noticed many scam come-ons that follow a fairly new pattern: using the phrase "weird little" or something similar. For example, "The weird little tip that can give you flat abs". Or even something like, "The surprising food that will make you a superstud." The idea, I think, is to make it sound like "we're not sure why this works, and it's a surprise even to us that it does, but it does!" I assume this somehow makes the come-on sound more credible. (I suspect many of these things are only selling clicks to other advertisers anyway.) Anyone else noticed this? Any ideas on what exactly the psychology is that makes something like that more enticing? I think it's based on the same idea as having a supposed "skeptic" give positive testimony. It's as if they have no interest in the claim working, but it does anyway. Wow--if they can convince someone like that, then it must be true? I think this goes all the way back to a confidence man working in the street having a confederate who, it is claimed, he has never met before trying the product and giving a positive testimony.
	__________________ "That is a very graphic analogy which aids understanding wonderfully while being, strictly speaking, wrong in every possible way." —Ponder Stibbons

8th July 2012, 08:47 AM	#2
Macgyver1968 Illuminator Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Dallas, Texas Posts: 3,608	"Check out this neat trick a housewife discovered for whitening teeth!" I've noticed these type of ads too. I guess they work.
	__________________ "Fixin' crap that ain't broke."

8th July 2012, 08:51 AM	#4
jimfish Critical Thinker Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 269	The whole "I'm just a regular mom with three kids who discovered the one simple trick that they don't want you to know!" online ad schtick. Appeals to the layman, I guess. Those who don't want to know how it works, only if it works, and as instantly as possible. "Get ripped in 2 weeks with this one simple rule!", etc. etc.
jimfish Critical Thinker Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 269

8th July 2012, 08:54 AM	#5
JoeTheJuggler Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: St. Louis Posts: 26,748	I get that it's part of a long and old tradition of this sort of thing, but I'm amazed how this sort of wording has become such a widespread fashion just lately. It's sort of like the copycat "reality" TV shows, I guess. There's a formula that sells, so everyone copies that formula.
	__________________ "That is a very graphic analogy which aids understanding wonderfully while being, strictly speaking, wrong in every possible way." —Ponder Stibbons

8th July 2012, 11:53 AM	#6
Mongrel Begging for Scraps Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: 20 minutes in the future Posts: 1,640	I think it's part of the anti-intellectual schtick that seems to go hand in hand with low grade woo. By saying "A housewife\kindergarden teacher" discovered it they're also saying that "those scientist chaps didn't have a hand in this"
	__________________ “Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.” - Charles Darwin ...like so many contemporary philosophers he especially enjoyed giving helpful advice to people who were happier than he was. - Tom Lehrer

8th July 2012, 08:47 AM	#3
Marduk Banned Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Newbury, Berkshire Posts: 10,242	Most recently seen on a google ad pretending that a stay at home mum had discovered a revolutionary tooth whitening method, that "the product confounded experts" presumably dentists Turns out what she did was use the two leading products in the range at the same time, so there you have it a new method that consists of buying both the brand leaders and spending twice as much money personally I find Tippex more than adequate <<British

8th July 2012, 12:16 PM	#7
Voodoosix Thinker Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 152	Ancient Chinese secret huh?
Voodoosix Thinker Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 152

8th July 2012, 12:50 PM	#8
haibut Student Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 38	Originally Posted by Mongrel I think it's part of the anti-intellectual schtick that seems to go hand in hand with low grade woo. By saying "A housewife\kindergarden teacher" discovered it they're also saying that "those scientist chaps didn't have a hand in this" I've been seen a lot of those lately - google ads seems to often have them. The unusually placed adjectives look to me to just just be bad translation from whatever language the originator speaks - for example, I just saw "scary signs of depression". Now, depression is unpleasant and debilitating and problematic but is anyone really scared of it like they might be of, say cancer or liver failure? I don't think so. Of course I decided not to click the ad to investigate further!
haibut Student Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 38

8th July 2012, 06:46 PM	#9
Delvo Illuminator Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Posts: 3,883	Well, of course it has to be weird. If it were to be expected, somebody would have thought of it by now.

8th July 2012, 07:29 PM	#10
JoeTheJuggler Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: St. Louis Posts: 26,748	Originally Posted by Voodoosix Ancient Chinese secret huh? We need more Calgon!
	__________________ "That is a very graphic analogy which aids understanding wonderfully while being, strictly speaking, wrong in every possible way." —Ponder Stibbons

8th July 2012, 07:34 PM	#11
JoeTheJuggler Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: St. Louis Posts: 26,748	Originally Posted by Mongrel I think it's part of the anti-intellectual schtick that seems to go hand in hand with low grade woo. By saying "A housewife\kindergarden teacher" discovered it they're also saying that "those scientist chaps didn't have a hand in this" Yep. But that of course is only the conceit in fashion right now. Other times it's been to pretend to be scientific. My favorite example of this has been bogus unsubstantiated claims about the effects of vitamins and supplements hidden behind the weasel word "supports". (As in, "supports concentration, memory, immune response," etc.) Speaking of pretending to be scientific, my favorite ads that depended on the idea that no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public were some old "Spanish Fly" ads in the back of magazines back in the '60s and '70s. They included the words "Placebo!" and "Spurious Cure!" confident that their clientele would think those were good things to say about their product.
	__________________ "That is a very graphic analogy which aids understanding wonderfully while being, strictly speaking, wrong in every possible way." —Ponder Stibbons

8th July 2012, 07:38 PM	#12
Bikewer Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: St. Louis, Mo. Posts: 9,525	Every time I open my Yahoo mail account I get the "One weird trick" ads. Usually, "Cambridge scientists have discovered...." How to sleep uninterrupted, how to better your love life, increase testosterone, etc, etc. they usually show either a fairly attractive girl or a rather self-satisfied looking older man along the lines of "smilin' Bob" from the Enzyte ads.

8th July 2012, 07:47 PM	#13
ExMinister RSL Acolyte Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,749	I have seen these too. I agree it is probably supposed to sound like "Wow we can't believe this either but it really works!" Uh huh. The ones I find irritating that I have been seeing a lot lately are the ones that say, "She has found out the secret to looking younger. Plastic surgeons hate her!" Or "She has found the secret to whiter teeth! Dentists hate her!" Arrgh. Seriously, do people fall for that?
ExMinister RSL Acolyte Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,749	__________________ www.stopsylvia.com

8th July 2012, 07:55 PM	#14
Ferguson Muse Join Date: May 2009 Location: Lansing, MI Posts: 830	My favorite, I saw today: "Language Professors are DOOMED! Use this weird secret trick to learn a language in 10 days!" Weird AND secret AND a trick!? I'm sold!

9th July 2012, 07:59 AM	#15
JoeTheJuggler Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: St. Louis Posts: 26,748	Originally Posted by ExMinister I have seen these too. I agree it is probably supposed to sound like "Wow we can't believe this either but it really works!" Uh huh. And don't you think that is sort of related to the old thing about testimonials from dis-interested (or even "skeptical") parties? It's as if the seller is posing as an outsider, having no stake in his own product. Quote: The ones I find irritating that I have been seeing a lot lately are the ones that say, "She has found out the secret to looking younger. Plastic surgeons hate her!" Or "She has found the secret to whiter teeth! Dentists hate her!" Yeah, that's pretty disgusting. It assumes first that dentists and doctors will ever want for more patients, and that they would actually seek avoidable suffering for their patients. Quote: Arrgh. Seriously, do people fall for that? These things reach a LOT of people, and even a sale to one in a million can add up, I suppose.
	__________________ "That is a very graphic analogy which aids understanding wonderfully while being, strictly speaking, wrong in every possible way." —Ponder Stibbons

9th July 2012, 08:35 AM	#16
Careyp74 Illuminator Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Trevose, PA Posts: 3,407	http://forums.randi.org/showthread.p...ht=weird+trick Originally Posted by Ferguson My favorite, I saw today: "Language Professors are DOOMED! Use this weird secret trick to learn a language in 10 days!" Weird AND secret AND a trick!? I'm sold! You forgot the all important "The secret that so and so don't want you to know." In this case, language professors. I think they have a union or something.

9th July 2012, 08:39 AM	#17
JoeTheJuggler Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: St. Louis Posts: 26,748	Originally Posted by Careyp74 http://forums.randi.org/showthread.p...ht=weird+trick Oh I missed that thread! Well, very happy to say GMTA in this case!
	__________________ "That is a very graphic analogy which aids understanding wonderfully while being, strictly speaking, wrong in every possible way." —Ponder Stibbons

9th July 2012, 08:56 AM	#18
NoZed Avenger Bitter Whiner Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 11,313	Hit my paypal and I'll let you in on a strange little-known secret method of stopping these ads from appearing -- a method that the advertisers don't want you to know.
	__________________ [This Space Available. PM for Rates.]

9th July 2012, 09:07 AM	#19
marplots Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 5,384	Everyone knows that all scientific discoveries were just happy accidents. It stands to reason that a few billion people on the planet, all consistently doing stupid things... well, one or two will hit on an unknown solution to an important problem. It's the new way to do science -- no real understanding involved, no expensive equipment or years of learning, just get out there and fiddle. I am on Edison's path myself. I've already found a couple of thousand things that don't immediately make me wealthy. Like microwaving my money. But I'll keep trying. The weirder, the better!
marplots Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 5,384

9th July 2012, 09:35 AM	#20
Careyp74 Illuminator Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Trevose, PA Posts: 3,407	Originally Posted by marplots Everyone knows that all scientific discoveries were just happy accidents. It stands to reason that a few billion people on the planet, all consistently doing stupid things... well, one or two will hit on an unknown solution to an important problem. It's the new way to do science -- no real understanding involved, no expensive equipment or years of learning, just get out there and fiddle. I am on Edison's path myself. I've already found a couple of thousand things that don't immediately make me wealthy. Like microwaving my money. But I'll keep trying. The weirder, the better! Hey, even failures are success, you know what doesn't work. Also, for fuel efficiency, Sweet and Low works as well as sugar. You can add that to your list.

9th July 2012, 10:25 AM	#21
Beerina Sarcastic Conqueror of Notions Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: A floating island above the clouds Posts: 23,835	Ok, a few years ago there were sites that promoted trivia and curiosities, while jamming popup ads when you clicked on the links. The links worked -- you just got ads with them. Fair enough. They did things like, "ten errors in movies", "Do you know the female body?", and "top six things a woman should know about a man". Basically they were cool factoid and list aggregators. I'm sure they did data mining -- which links worked best? -- and then started top-loading their lists with the most popular type. A few years of evolution go by, and it's now all "This one wierd trick..." and "Did Hermione let something slip she shouldn't have?" Places like CNN,which allow paid pseudo-article links, are just inheriting the descendants of this. The one exception is "(some state) Mom discovers easy trick to ...", which seemed to originate in sidebar ads with some teeth whitening trick, which may have been legit, but now suggests local moms are like Indiana Jones, discovering reams of useful, ancient knowledge.
	__________________ "Great innovations should not be forced [by way of] slender majorities." - Thomas Jefferson The government should nationalize it! Socialized, single-payer video game development and sales *now!* More, cheaper, better games, right? Right? Last edited by Beerina; 9th July 2012 at 10:32 AM.

9th July 2012, 11:08 AM	#22
DallasDad Muse Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 688	I can't be the only one to be disconcerted by seeing this topic immediately after reading one of the circumcision topics....
DallasDad Muse Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 688

9th July 2012, 11:13 AM	#23
Careyp74 Illuminator Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Trevose, PA Posts: 3,407	Originally Posted by DallasDad I can't be the only one to be disconcerted by seeing this topic immediately after reading one of the circumcision topics.... I didn't think of that, but did wonder before clicking the thread what problem he was having with his nipples.

9th July 2012, 04:32 PM	#24
JoeTheJuggler Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: St. Louis Posts: 26,748	Originally Posted by Careyp74 I didn't think of that, but did wonder before clicking the thread what problem he was having with his nipples. But it did get you to look at the thread! ________ Just got a weird little spam e-mail: "3 sneaky hormones that are destroying your metabolism!"
	__________________ "That is a very graphic analogy which aids understanding wonderfully while being, strictly speaking, wrong in every possible way." —Ponder Stibbons

10th July 2012, 05:59 AM	#25
Careyp74 Illuminator Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Trevose, PA Posts: 3,407	Originally Posted by JoeTheJuggler But it did get you to look at the thread! ________ Just got a weird little spam e-mail: "3 sneaky hormones that are destroying your metabolism!" Yes, if nothing else, but to fell better about my own weird little tips.

11th July 2012, 05:46 AM	#26
Milbrandt Critical Thinker Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 427	Originally Posted by JoeTheJuggler The idea, I think, is to make it sound like "we're not sure why this works, and it's a surprise even to us that it does, but it does!" I assume this somehow makes the come-on sound more credible. (I suspect many of these things are only selling clicks to other advertisers anyway.) Anyone else noticed this? Any ideas on what exactly the psychology is that makes something like that more enticing? I think it's based on the same idea as having a supposed "skeptic" give positive testimony. It's as if they have no interest in the claim working, but it does anyway. Wow--if they can convince someone like that, then it must be true? I think you're right, but I also think it's more than that. By claiming that it's a "secret" or "little known" fact/tip, people might get the idea that they have a chance to get some esoteric knowledge. It will make them one of the few people with that special bit of information. The fact that lots of other people get the same ad, doesn't make that big of difference here I think. It's about giving people the feeling they're special (or could be special if they just click the link), not about the actual number of people who know it. What I've also noticed is that it's often a tip to do something with much less effort than usually; "Get skinny in a week" "10 tips to play guitar like Jimi Hendrix in a month" "3 Things you should say to a woman to make her want you" You see, you just have to walk up to a woman, say the 3-line incantation and she's yours. To think I spent all that time going out to dinner with her, giving her compliments and buying her presents. I could've saved a lot of time and money on that girl! Why didn't anybody tell me this before? O yeah, and I'll also stop working out and practicing playing the guitar. I'm just gonna give my money to the nice Internet-people who want to teach me the secrets of the universe and don't hold back any information from me.
	__________________ Why is everybody so skeptical here?

11th July 2012, 10:14 AM	#27
JoeTheJuggler Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: St. Louis Posts: 26,748	Originally Posted by Milbrandt I think you're right, but I also think it's more than that. By claiming that it's a "secret" or "little known" fact/tip, people might get the idea that they have a chance to get some esoteric knowledge. It will make them one of the few people with that special bit of information. Good point. Of course the best example of this has to be Rhonda Byrne's film and book called "The Secret". No need for hard work or action--just want something hard enough and your desire will resonate with the universe and fame, fortune, romance will be yours. (Or send out bad vibes and you'll be punished, because we all know victims all deserve what they get. They secretly asked for it.) I guess it'd never have sold if she called it, "Bald-faced Lie" or anything more honest than "The Secret". The Simpsons lampooned it as "The Answer" in one episode. ETA: Your point reminded me of something else: people like to feel special or unique no matter what. Quacks of different stripes (especially, for example, chiropractors) will frequently tell people they have something quirky or different about them: their legs are two different lengths (and easy thing to "show" by a subtle shift of the pelvis), for example. Or they have special allergies that only their quack method can detect. The most attractive psychic reading is to tell a mark that they too have some degree of psychic powers.
	__________________ "That is a very graphic analogy which aids understanding wonderfully while being, strictly speaking, wrong in every possible way." —Ponder Stibbons Last edited by JoeTheJuggler; 11th July 2012 at 10:17 AM.