Wednesday, April 19, 2023

The Psychology of Rumours

Where do rumours come from? There is a psychology of rumours. It is not a settled science, but the following are thought to be some top drivers:

• Rumours are attention-seeking
• Rumours are a symptom of insecurity
• Rumours arise where leadership becomes a threat to someone

OBSERVATION: By definition, rumours are "of uncertain or doubtful truth". But I have found that people are reluctant to believe that rumours are untrue. In a normal world, everything people say would be true, and people are not willing to believe that we live in a world which is as abnormal as it is. All of the above are difficult to handle. Just looking at them superficially, information goes a long way to countering rumours. Decisive intervention does, too. Rumours should not be underestimated for their potential to do damage. It is not a case of "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me."

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