This October, we’re celebrating 8 years of Behavioral Grooves! To mark the occasion, we’re digging into our archives and re-sharing some of our most popular and thought-provoking conversations every Thursday for the next two months.

The celebration builds to our Anniversary Event on October 16th in Minneapolis, where fan favorite Nick Epley will lead the audience in a live social experiment and conversation about the science we all love.

Space is limited—grab your tickets now through the link in the show notes and join us for an unforgettable night of behavioral science, connection, and fun!

And now - this week's episode!

In this episode of Behavioral Grooves, psychologists Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris—creators of the famous Monkey Business Illusion and authors of Nobody’s Fool—unpack why we so often fall for fraud, scams, and flashy but misleading science. They explain how our biases and love of appealing stories make us vulnerable, and why blanket skepticism isn’t practical. Instead, they share tools for spotting deception, insights into fixing flawed research incentives, and a simple but powerful rule of thumb: trust the people who admit when they’re wrong.

Links

Behavioral Grooves LIVE in Minneapolis!

Nobody’s Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do About It by Daniel Simons & Chris Chabris

The Monkey Business Illusion

Music Links

Talking Heads “Once in a Lifetime”

Ani Difranco “Both Hands”

Wax Tailor “Come With Me”

Bjork “Human Behaviour”

Eight Years Grooving: The Psychology of Scams | Dan Simons and Chris Chabris (Republish)

Behavioral Grooves Podcast

Eight Years Grooving: The Psychology of Scams | Dan Simons and Chris Chabris (Republish)