Malcolm Gladwell books are fun to read regardless of how solid the intellectual foundations are.
In Talking to Strangers, Gladwell argues that humans have three biases that break down when we are dealing with strangers.
Default To Truth-- We presume that people are telling the truth unless the evidence is overwhelming. We had to behave this way, or society would break down. This works against us when we a stranger deceives us. It also means we should not think harshly of people who were deceived by strangers. It's the way we are wired.
Transparency-- we think that the way we express our emotions, is the way everyone expresses their emotions. Everyone, especially strangers, will express their emotions differently. We should not judge someone because they didn't express their emotions the way we did.
Coupling-- Our actions are associated with the opportunities to take that action. Make it more difficult to commit suicide one way, and the suicide rate will go down. The suicidal won't find another way to kill themselves. Maybe the stranger is acting a particular way because of the time and the place, not because the stranger is bad.
How should we deal with strangers? With caution and humility
In Talking to Strangers, Gladwell argues that humans have three biases that break down when we are dealing with strangers.
Default To Truth-- We presume that people are telling the truth unless the evidence is overwhelming. We had to behave this way, or society would break down. This works against us when we a stranger deceives us. It also means we should not think harshly of people who were deceived by strangers. It's the way we are wired.
Transparency-- we think that the way we express our emotions, is the way everyone expresses their emotions. Everyone, especially strangers, will express their emotions differently. We should not judge someone because they didn't express their emotions the way we did.
Coupling-- Our actions are associated with the opportunities to take that action. Make it more difficult to commit suicide one way, and the suicide rate will go down. The suicidal won't find another way to kill themselves. Maybe the stranger is acting a particular way because of the time and the place, not because the stranger is bad.
How should we deal with strangers? With caution and humility
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