Social Engineering Blogs

An Aggregator for Blogs About Social Engineering and Related Fields

Scared to Death…Literally. The Emotion of Fear

Scientists have been studying fear for quite some time and it is a fact that you can be “scared to death”.  NPR has reported on the phenomenon of Voodoo Death as doctors refer to it.

Dr. Martin Samuels interviewed with NPR and this is some of what he said:

Well, it’s a strong emotional reaction of any kind [that can cause Voodoo death]. It can be positive, as you said in the lead, or negative. And when this happens suddenly, there is a pulse of autonomic activity, we call it, which means automatic activity of the brain, which releases chemicals, natural chemicals related to adrenaline, which I’m sure everybody has heard about.  And that chemical is mainly good, but there’s a small, small risk that it can do harm to the various organs, including your heart.

The interviewer goes onto ask Dr. Samuel, “And you say it doesn’t have to be a scary experience”.  Dr. Samuels response, “No, just a sudden,usually unexpected powerful emotional experience.  A scary experience would be one example of it, but a powerful positive emotion can do it as well.  I have an example of a guy who hit a hole in one, he played golf his whole life and hit a ball over a rise and didn’t see where it went.  He and his partner went over and looked down on the green, and the ball was in the hole.  And he said wow, I hit a hole in one, I can die now, and he did.”

Extreme you say?  Maybe, but science has confirmed that it does happen.  This just might make you think twice next time you decide to pull a prank on someone.  If you’d like to listen to the entire Podcast click here.

What do you think about Voodoo Death?  Do you have an experience with this you can share with the Humintell Community?

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.

How to make your body language work for you during an interview

Patti was interviewed by Miriam Salpeter of US News on, “How to make your body language work for you during an interview.” Check the link below!

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/12/12/make-your-body-language-work-for-you-during-an-interview

You’ve been practicing what to say at an interview, but have you considered what signals your body language is sending? (The Merrabian research I think you wanted to quote here Is not actually valid. Perhaps better to say it has 4.3 times the impact than words alone) Research suggests ____ percent of communication isn’t transmitted via our words, but is broadcast through our actions and attitude.
Patti Wood, author of SNAP: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma, suggests the following tips from the book to help you wow your interviewer:
Palm-to-Palm Contact Is Key. Wood explains, “My research is the US and Canada suggests that palm contact is more important than how firm your grip is…If someone shakes hands with you and gives you just her fingers and not her full palm, at a subconscious level you may think, ‘What is she hiding? What is she keeping from me?” Evaluate the all-important handshake and worry less about if you have a firm enough grip and more about extending your entire hand and palm when you greet someone.
How to Sit. Don’t make yourself smaller in stature. Appear brave by keeping your body open. Wood notes, “Keep your arms open and away from your body, legs uncrossed, and shoulders