Score the following statements on a scale of 1-5 based on how profound each of them is (1-not at all, 5- very profound):
Today, science tells us that the essence of nature is grace Life is the driver of potential. We live, we dream, we are reborn These statements were actually generated by an AI “New Age Bullshit Generator).
The tendency to see these types of statements as profound is called “Bullshit Receptivity.” In their new book “Noise”, Daniel Kahaneman and colleagues present research showing some people are more bullshit receptive than others, and can be easily impressed by supposedly impressive statements which are in fact shallow or meaningless.
If you fell for this, don’t feel bad, it actually might mean you are in a good mood! People in a good mood tend to be more receptive to bullshit and are less likely to notice fraud or misleading information. The bottom line here is not to come grumpy to an interview, but to be aware that there are candidates that know their storytelling and are great at talking in slogans. Our role as interviewers is to break down high level statements such as “my mission is to inspire and deliver” to concrete real-life examples.