We like to think of Artificial Intelligence as a neutral, objective arbiter of truth. We use it to research complex topics, settle debates, and check our own thinking. However, recent research into Large Language Models (LLMs) suggests that AI has a surprising—and slightly concerning—personality trait: sycophancy.
Sycophancy in AI is the tendency for a model to tailor its responses to match the user's expressed views, even if those views are factually incorrect or biased. As it tu...
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We often think of narcissists as loud, charming, and status-obsessed. However, recent psychological research suggests a more subtle, often overlooked manifestation: the perpetual victim. While genuine victimisation is a tragic reality for many, "victim signalling"—the tendency to frequently portray oneself as the target of others' unfairness—can sometimes be a calculated social strategy. Here is what the latest research tells us about the link between victimhood and narcissis...
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Making sense is a crucial part of any argument. If you’re listening to someone’s advice and the pieces of their logical puzzle don’t match up, that’s probably a good sign that their ideas are misguided. However, just because something makes sense doesn’t mean it is true. When we believe things are true just because it makes sense, we are effectively using deductive reasoning.
Deductive vs Inductive Reasoning
There are two ways we can make sense of information, t...
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In the last installment of our misinformation identification series, we looked at the red flag of making complicated things seem too simple. In this article, we’re going to be looking at the exact opposite, people who overcomplicate simple things.
In our previous article, we mentioned that, in almost every subject, there is an overwhelming depth of complexity. So, it feels slightly contradictory to now say that you can overcomplicate anything. But hear me out; both ideas can be true at...
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In part 1 of our series, we looked at people who make things seem too good to be true and then spoke about the opposite: people who make things seem too bad to be true. We have a similar dichotomy for this next subject: there are people who make complicated things sound simple, and there are those that make simple things overly complicated. Both should be red flags, but let’s start with the former: making complicated things seem too simple.
Life is complicated
A good starting point for...
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