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Bullshit-sensitivity predicts prosocial behavior

journals.plos.org

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Re: Bullshit-sensitivity predicts prosocial behavior

#31

Post by lithander »

barking wrote: post #5

Bullshit-sensitivity and cynicism are practically synomyms I'd say. It feels counter-intuitive to find cynicism positively correlated with prosocial behaviour (which the article defines as donating to and/or joining a charity.)

The headline 'Bullshit-sensitivity predicts prosocial behavior' contradicts the summary from the abstract where it basically says: Profoundness-receptivity has a positive association with prosocial behaviour whereas bullshit-receptivity has a negative association with prosocial behavior.

So if you go by the abstract the results match your intuition!

Re: Bullshit-sensitivity predicts prosocial behavior

#32

Post by DanBC »

awild wrote: post #7

I am slightly confused by the selection of those sentences, the bullshit sentences barely make grammatical sense, while the profound sentences are honestly pretty banal and sound like things you'd find written on tote-bags sold in etsy stores. I found the study pretty interesting especially table 2 is extremely informative!

You could probably put the bullshit sentences on etsy trinkets and sell them, maybe as sucessfully as the others.

Re: Bullshit-sensitivity predicts prosocial behavior

#34

Post by DanBC »

JulianMorrison wrote: post #25

Scientists! I offer my services as an author of better bullshit than you can create by feeding a parody generator with marketing materials. Observe! - The unknown flees from the implausible. - Unheard elephants are never green. - Although many people seek apples, few seek the road. - Judgement is like chewing on expensive rubber. - A circle is a square with intention.

This must become a twitter bot.

Re: Bullshit-sensitivity predicts prosocial behavior

#35

Post by DanBC »

simonbarker87 wrote: post #3

The bullshit sentences don’t even really make sense, not at a deep “having a think about it” level but just on a surface read they all sound weird - not hard to detect them as bullshit I wouldn’t have thought.

Are you reading them in their original language, or a translation?

Re: Bullshit-sensitivity predicts prosocial behavior

#36

Post by FabHK »

ak39 wrote: post #27
duopixel wrote: post #19

A simple self-experiment if you haven't read the paper, find which of these sentences are bullshit. Answer in order without reading further ahead, and don't go back to change your answers (as to replicate experimental conditions). * 1. A river cuts through a rock, not because of its power but it's persistence. 2. The hidden meaning transforms the abstract beauty. 3. The future elucidates irrational facts for the seek…

No 10. sounds just like something Slavoj Zizek would say.

I wonder whether there's research correlating low bullshit-sensitivity with endorsement of postmodern "thought".

Re: Bullshit-sensitivity predicts prosocial behavior

#37

Post by pdpi »

Lewton wrote: post #20
awild wrote: post #7

I am slightly confused by the selection of those sentences, the bullshit sentences barely make grammatical sense, while the profound sentences are honestly pretty banal and sound like things you'd find written on tote-bags sold in etsy stores. I found the study pretty interesting especially table 2 is extremely informative!

This seems to just be a proxy that ends up measuring whether IQ is correlated to being prosocial

Except the paper specifically states that the effect remains after controlling for cognitive ability.

Re: Bullshit-sensitivity predicts prosocial behavior

#38

Post by FabHK »

folli wrote: post #4

I feel like this is some meta-level test for the reader. Pseudo-profound bullshit statement: "Bullshit-sensitivity predicts prosocial behavior"; can the reader distinguish this bullshit paper from a profound paper?

Disagreed. Both key terms are fully operationalised in the paper (ie, a measurement procedure is given), and so the sentence has empirical content (it could be wrong, but isn't).

Re: Bullshit-sensitivity predicts prosocial behavior

#39

Post by Fordec »

ak39 wrote: post #27
duopixel wrote: post #19

A simple self-experiment if you haven't read the paper, find which of these sentences are bullshit. Answer in order without reading further ahead, and don't go back to change your answers (as to replicate experimental conditions). * 1. A river cuts through a rock, not because of its power but it's persistence. 2. The hidden meaning transforms the abstract beauty. 3. The future elucidates irrational facts for the seek…

No 10. sounds just like something Slavoj Zizek would say.

Or a random sentence generator. Or an unlocked phone in a pocket with autocomplete enabled

Re: Bullshit-sensitivity predicts prosocial behavior

#40

Post by vvpan »

barking wrote: post #5

Bullshit-sensitivity and cynicism are practically synomyms I'd say. It feels counter-intuitive to find cynicism positively correlated with prosocial behaviour (which the article defines as donating to and/or joining a charity.)

I think that's the key! On a personal note - I have tremendous difficulty reconciling kindness and cynicism in personal relationships. This reached an apex when I was dating an extremely kind and energetic girl, but couldn't help roll my eyes all the time at mentions of astrology and the universe talking to her through four-leafed clovers. I am not fully sold on cynicism being a virtue.
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