Fool Proof

January 9, 2023
In this persuasive debut, law professor Wilkinson-Ryan contends that the “fear of being played for a fool” can result in underappreciated negative consequences. Drawing on psychology, law, and sociology, the author explores why the fear of playing the sucker is so potent, the ways it plays out societally, and how humans can benefit from judiciously deciding “which deserve attention.” According to Wilkinson-Ryan, being taken advantage of often feels devastating because it implies one has “cooperated in own social demotion.” People will go to such great lengths to avoid it that they’ll forego benefits that have no obvious downside (she cites a study in which 90% of people avoided a booth advertising “Free Money,” though there wasn’t a catch). On a social scale, the fear leads to a lessening of generosity, while in the political sphere it tends to manifest as opposition to welfare programs. But since complete risk-avoidance isn’t an option—“You are definitely going to be a fool... some of the time,” the author reassures—readers should respond by accepting the “suckered” feeling and moving on. Wilkinson-Ryan’s analysis is compassionate and intelligent, and its basis in a mix of studies and real-world examples gives the advice a sound foundation. This is a thought-provoking entry.

January 15, 2023
How to find a fruitful path between gullibility and paranoia. Wilkinson-Ryan, a professor of law and psychology, is well situated to investigate the social and personal implications of scams, cons, and tricks. The difference between being robbed and being conned is that with the latter, the victim has somehow contributed to their loss. Consequently, it generates feelings of humiliation and self-belittlement. Often, the psychological pain relates to the sense that the trust holding society together has been taken away, replaced by cynicism and suspicion. It is a potent construct, and the author explores it from a variety of perspectives. "The goal here," she writes, "is not so much to spot the con but to renegotiate its meaning." Along the way, she examines a range of psychological games and research experiments, including the well-known prisoner's dilemma and the interesting tragedy of the commons, where there is an intersection of self-interest, trust of others, risk, and reward. A personal example that she recounts involves a student who claimed to have suffered a death in the family and therefore needed an extension on an important assignment. Was it a plea from someone who needed support or a lie designed to manipulate her compassion? Wilkinson-Ryan unpacks this to demonstrate how the optimal decision can be made by assigning metrics to assess the potential gain and loss of each path. This helps clarify the choices as well as the crucial impact on the decision-maker. "The point is, you can feel cheated, but you don't have to," she writes. "The question is not whether threats exist but which ones deserve your attention. The prospect of playing the fool doesn't have to feel existential." It's a wise conclusion based on well-reasoned analysis. This intriguing study of the psychological dynamics of scams shows how one can live with integrity in a sucker's world.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.