Rumors are unverified accounts of the truth, yet people often hear rumors and believe them to be fact. Psychologist Daniel Goleman’s article “Anatomy of a Rumor: It Flies on Fear” sets out to explain why rumors spread and provide a solution on how to fight them. He divides his article into six different sections to help the reader better understand. Goleman’s article is an interesting look at the world of rumors and explains to the reader in a logical manner why they spread. Goleman begins his article by introducing the reader to three different examples of a rumor. The first was of a woman who tried on a coat at a department store and got bitten by a snake. The second was that swimming in a public pool can give a person AIDS and the third
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Dr. Kimmel’s findings suggest that rumors like these thrive because of the anxiety they create in people. Rumors are becoming more and more powerful each day, which has sparked a need for a means to stop them. Goleman then goes on to explain the role anxiety plays in a rumor. He explains that if people experience anxiety due to the rumor they are more likely to spread the rumor as news and not a rumor. In addition, tracking a rumor as it spreads helps those affected, such as a company, to plan and advertise in the area where it is most prominent to help eliminate the rumor. Goleman then moves on to the section about freight leading to repetition meaning that a rumor that scares or makes someone the most anxious increases the chances that the person will spread the rumor. He explains that this often times happens because the person hopes that by sharing the rumor they may find out that the rumor is false. Next is the message from Elvis section, which talks about how some of the most captivating rumors are of disease or death. That is why some people believe the rumor that Elvis Presley is alive because it introduces the …show more content…
However, there are two sections in particular intrigue me the most. The first is the section on Satan and a fading picture when Goleman quotes Dr. Koenig saying that “’A public rebuttal takes a rumor and turns it into news. The news shows the rumor to be unsubstantiated. If you try to pass on the rumor after that, you run the risk of being ridiculed’” (490). I agree with this because although logic may say that it is not reasonable to bring attention to false allegations, it is better for a company to make a public statement to make people aware of the truth with proof as soon as possible to prevent a large widespread of lies. If a situation is resolved immediately then there is no time for the truth to get obscured. The second is the section that fright leads to repetition. Goleman quotes Dr. Kimmel who explains, “The more frighten people were by a rumor, the more likely they were to repeat it” (489). I agree with this because fear often tends to blind a person from the truth, which leads them to believe the rumors and take them as fact and then spread that information to others to bring awareness to it and that leads to a widespread of a
Dr. Kimmel’s findings suggest that rumors like these thrive because of the anxiety they create in people. Rumors are becoming more and more powerful each day, which has sparked a need for a means to stop them. Goleman then goes on to explain the role anxiety plays in a rumor. He explains that if people experience anxiety due to the rumor they are more likely to spread the rumor as news and not a rumor. In addition, tracking a rumor as it spreads helps those affected, such as a company, to plan and advertise in the area where it is most prominent to help eliminate the rumor. Goleman then moves on to the section about freight leading to repetition meaning that a rumor that scares or makes someone the most anxious increases the chances that the person will spread the rumor. He explains that this often times happens because the person hopes that by sharing the rumor they may find out that the rumor is false. Next is the message from Elvis section, which talks about how some of the most captivating rumors are of disease or death. That is why some people believe the rumor that Elvis Presley is alive because it introduces the …show more content…
However, there are two sections in particular intrigue me the most. The first is the section on Satan and a fading picture when Goleman quotes Dr. Koenig saying that “’A public rebuttal takes a rumor and turns it into news. The news shows the rumor to be unsubstantiated. If you try to pass on the rumor after that, you run the risk of being ridiculed’” (490). I agree with this because although logic may say that it is not reasonable to bring attention to false allegations, it is better for a company to make a public statement to make people aware of the truth with proof as soon as possible to prevent a large widespread of lies. If a situation is resolved immediately then there is no time for the truth to get obscured. The second is the section that fright leads to repetition. Goleman quotes Dr. Kimmel who explains, “The more frighten people were by a rumor, the more likely they were to repeat it” (489). I agree with this because fear often tends to blind a person from the truth, which leads them to believe the rumors and take them as fact and then spread that information to others to bring awareness to it and that leads to a widespread of a