Summary
Overview
Doctors Chris and Zand explore why people follow bad advice even when they know it's wrong, particularly in healthcare settings. They interview Professor Sunita Sarr, an organizational psychologist from Cornell University, who discusses the psychological mechanisms behind compliance with bad advice, including insinuation anxiety, the role of confidence and attractiveness, and why warnings about conflicts of interest can paradoxically increase compliance rates.
The Nature of Bad Advice
Sunita Sarr defines three categories of bad advice: advice that is simply wrong or outdated, advice given by someone with a conflict of interest who benefits from you taking it, and advice that might be right for others but wrong for your specific situation. She explains that people often feel tension when receiving bad advice but still comply due to social pressure and the discomfort of saying no. In healthcare settings, this dynamic is amplified by power imbalances between patients and medical professionals.
- Three types of bad advice: wrong information, conflicted interests, and advice right for others but not you
- Social pressure leads people to comply with bad advice to protect relationships
- Healthcare professionals have more power and expertise, making it harder for patients to refuse
- Confident advisors are more persuasive regardless of accuracy
" When you go against your better judgment, it leads to more regret and you actually blame yourself more, not the advisor. "
" We want to be able to trust our doctors. But the interesting thing is, I also find it very difficult with doctors. "
Who We Take Bad Advice From
Research shows people are most likely to follow bad advice from those with high status, power, and confidence. Sunita explains that attractive, credible-seeming individuals who appear expert are particularly persuasive, even on platforms like TikTok. The combination of confidence and attractiveness makes advisors more influential regardless of whether their advice is sound. This dynamic is especially problematic in the age of social media influencers who may lack genuine expertise.
- People most likely follow advice from powerful, esteemed, attractive, and confident individuals
- Confident advisors are more persuasive even when wrong
- Social media influencers gain persuasiveness through confidence and attractiveness
- Anyone can give bad advice, so beware of attractive, confident presenters
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