Have you ever heard of the Tasmanian Mock Walrus? It’s supposedly an Australian marsupial about ten centimeters long, with a mating call like a cat’s purr and a temperament similar to a hamster. But here’s the catch—it doesn’t actually exist! The story of the Tassie Walrus was first reported in the Orlando Sentinel on April 1, 1984, as an April Fools’ joke. The article claimed it ate cockroaches and made the perfect pet, leading many people to call the newspaper, eager to buy one. This raises an interesting question: why are some people so easily fooled?
Many pranks work because of the power of suggestion. For example, in 1965, the BBC aired an April Fools’ Day interview about a fictional invention called “Smellovision.” The inventor claimed that viewers could smell chopped onions and coffee through their TV sets. Surprisingly, many viewers called in to say they could indeed smell these scents, even though it was impossible.
In a 2008 study, participants were given wine labeled either $5 or $90 while inside an fMRI machine. Unbeknownst to them, both wines were actually the same $90 wine. The participants reported that the wine labeled $90 tasted better, and this was reflected in increased activity in a part of the brain called the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). This area is crucial for decision-making and comparing rewards, showing how our perceptions can be influenced by expectations.
Our brains can sometimes trick us because they process information in different ways. There’s bottom-up processing, where we perceive reality based on actual stimuli, and top-down processing, where our perceptions shape our reality. The frontal lobe, which is involved in top-down processing, can make us more susceptible to being fooled because it influences how we interpret information.
People’s motivation to avoid being fooled varies. Some have a strong fear of being deceived, known as sugrophobia. Those with high sugrophobia are often skeptical and cautious, while those with low sugrophobia might not even realize when they’ve been tricked. There are advantages and disadvantages to being either too trusting or too skeptical, so it’s not always a bad thing to be fooled.
Whether you’re easily tricked or not, the idea of a cockroach-eating Tasmanian Mock Walrus as a pet is amusing. For my next episode, I want to answer your questions. Feel free to ask me anything about science, BrainCraft, or myself in the comments or on Twitter. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to BrainCraft for a new brainy episode every Thursday.
Design a fictional creature or invention, similar to the Tasmanian Mock Walrus or Smellovision. Write a short article or create a video advertisement about it. Consider how you can use the power of suggestion to make it believable. Present your hoax to the class and see if anyone is convinced!
Conduct a taste test with two identical food or drink items labeled differently (e.g., one labeled as “premium” and the other as “generic”). Record your classmates’ reactions and preferences. Discuss how expectations influenced their perceptions and relate this to the wine experiment from the article.
In groups, create a skit that demonstrates the difference between bottom-up and top-down processing. Use everyday scenarios to show how our brains can be tricked by expectations or actual stimuli. Perform your skit for the class and explain the concepts afterward.
Participate in a debate about the advantages and disadvantages of being easily fooled versus being overly skeptical. Research real-life examples and psychological studies to support your arguments. Reflect on your own level of sugrophobia and how it affects your interactions.
Research a famous historical hoax or prank. Present your findings to the class, focusing on how the hoax was executed and why people believed it. Discuss what this reveals about human psychology and the power of suggestion.
Here’s a sanitized version of the YouTube transcript:
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This is the Tasmanian Mock Walrus. It’s an Australian marsupial around ten centimeters long. Its mating call resembles the purr of a cat, and it has the temperament of a hamster. Or… does it? The Tassie Walrus was first reported in the Orlando Sentinel on April 1, 1984. They wrote that it ate cockroaches and made an ideal pet. So ideal that dozens of people called the newspaper asking where they could buy their mock walrus. Why are some people so easily fooled?
The effectiveness of many pranks lies in the power of suggestion. Back in 1965, the BBC aired an interview on April Fools’ Day with the man who invented “Smellovision.” He told viewers that the smell of chopped onion and coffee was being transmitted through their television sets, and viewers called in to mistakenly confirm they could smell them.
In a 2008 study, participants were given either a $5 or $90 glass of wine while they were in an fMRI machine. However, they weren’t told that both were actually the same $90 glass. Researchers found that the self-reported pleasantness score was greater for those who had the wine labeled $90 compared to the wine labeled $5. This higher score corresponded to increased activity in an area of the frontal lobe (mPFC), which is important for top-down processing, decision-making, and reward comparison.
Sometimes we let our sensations guide our perceptions, and in the case of Smellovision, even our logic can be misleading. Our brain can trick us because it has different ways of processing stimuli. Bottom-up processing is where we perceive reality objectively based on stimuli, while top-down processing is where we shape our own reality based on our perceptions. Our frontal lobe’s predisposition for top-down processing is why we can be so easily fooled.
Of course, the motivation to avoid being fooled differs from person to person. The fear of being deceived is called sugrophobia. Individuals with high sugrophobia are vigilant and skeptical of situations, while those with low sugrophobia may not even realize they’ve been fooled. There are pros and cons to being too trusting or untrusting, so you shouldn’t always pity the fool.
Regardless of where you lie in your capacity to be tricked, I still think the cockroach-eating Tasmanian Mock Walrus would make a great pet. For my next episode, I want to answer some of your questions. So ask me whatever you like about science, BrainCraft, or myself down in the comments or over on Twitter. And if you don’t already, subscribe to BrainCraft for a new brainy episode every Thursday.
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This version maintains the original content while ensuring clarity and professionalism.
Suggestion – The psychological process by which one person guides the thoughts, feelings, or behavior of another. – The power of suggestion can significantly influence a person’s perception of pain, making it feel more intense or less severe.
Perception – The process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions to give meaning to their environment. – Our perception of color can be influenced by the lighting conditions and the surrounding colors in the environment.
Brain – The organ in the body that is responsible for thought, memory, emotion, and sensory processing. – The human brain is capable of processing complex information and making rapid decisions in response to environmental stimuli.
Processing – The act of taking in information, analyzing it, and responding to it. – Cognitive processing speed can affect how quickly a student is able to comprehend and respond to questions during an exam.
Decision-making – The cognitive process of selecting a course of action from among multiple alternatives. – Effective decision-making often involves weighing the pros and cons of each option and considering the potential outcomes.
Fear – An emotional response to a perceived threat or danger. – Fear can trigger the body’s fight-or-flight response, preparing an individual to either confront or flee from the threat.
Fooled – To be deceived or tricked into believing something that is not true. – Optical illusions can easily fool the brain into seeing something that isn’t actually there.
Skepticism – An attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object. – Scientific skepticism encourages questioning and testing hypotheses rather than accepting claims without evidence.
Expectations – Beliefs about what will happen in the future based on past experiences or societal norms. – Our expectations can shape our perception of reality, often leading us to see what we anticipate rather than what is actually present.
Reality – The state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them. – Virtual reality technology creates immersive environments that can simulate real-world experiences.
