Social Engineering Blogs

An Aggregator for Blogs About Social Engineering and Related Fields

The Future of Deception

How is our ever changing  world changing us? 

Social scientist and former Canadian customs officer, Jeff Hancock, dissects deception in his TED Talk:  ”The Future of Lying”.

He defines certain lies as a relationship, and that in such a connected world with the Internet, cell phones, Skype etc., we are able to get in touch with each other 24 hours a day.  Keeping that in mind he talks about what he coined “Butler” lies.

Lies such as I’m on my way and sorry I didn’t respond sooner my battery was dead are used to create a buffer between us and the connections to everyone else.  These Butler lies are aimed not at being malicious deceptions, but are aimed at protecting the relationship.

However, he goes on to state, “Lying is very pervasive.  The human imagination is capable of conceptualizing massive lies”

Interesting facts that were revealed in Hancock’s research:

1.  Email is the most honest form of communication and the phone is the most deceptive.  He purports that this can be due to ambiguities in the ‘Butler” lie.

2. Paper resumes vs. LinkedIn :  LinkedIn resumes were more honest in things that really mattered to employers such as an individual’s responsibilities and skills.

3.  Most Facebook  profiles seem to reflect actual personalities rather than false bravados.

People lie frequently but most of those lies are subtle lies meaning they stay very near what the truth is.   Why ?

Well, big lies compared to subtle lies are more easily verifiable when you meet someone or when they get to know you on a more intimate level (good friends, boyfriend/girlfriends etc).

Be sure to check out the last few minutes of the video where Jeff shows two written reviews and you get to DECIDE who is lying and who is telling the truth.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Rise and Fall of Empathy

Humintell would like to share some interesting insights about the collective force of empathy.  Can an Outrospective outlook  be the key to creating a revolution of human relationships that can transform the major issues facing our world today?

Watch this short video (10mins) to learn about the path of Empathy in our world yesterday, today and tomorrow!

 

Click here to view the embedded video.

 Is the 21st century a time for Outrospective instead of Introspective mentalities?  

Pokertox: Botox for Poker Players?

According to Huffington Post, a doctor of aesthetic medicine in New York, Dr. Jack Berdy,  has just introduced “Pokertox,” a program of Botox and facial fillers designed to enhance a player’s “poker face,” their ability to hide any sign of facial emotion that might tip off other card players on whether they have a good or bad hand.

The process requires Berdy to consult with players about what they believe their “tells” are – the unconscious signals they give off to other players.

“Some people might get a card they like or don’t like and raise their eyebrows,” Berdy told The Huffington Post. “If that’s the common reaction, we can put Botox in certain areas to minimize them.”

For Berdy, “Pokertox” was a way to combine his occupation with his love of gambling, and he’s hoping to make a jackpot, especially since an application of “Pokertox” only lasts about three or four month, requiring further applications for players to keep up appearances.

But it’s not a sure bet for him. So far, no one has signed up for the service since he began offering it last week, and many poker players, such as Josh Hale, are skeptical.

Hale, who has competed on the World Poker Tour, thinks the idea may be 10-to-15 years too late.

“The game has moved on from bluffs, and is more analytical these days,” he told HuffPost. “Players might look at physical tells, but they are relying more on betting patterns and bet sizing.”

Do you play poker? What do you think? Would pokertox help give you an edge at the game?