The Watercooler Effect: A Psychologist Explores the Extraordinary Power of Rumors

by Nicholas DiFonzo

Book Overview

"A fresh look at informal communication, and how information spreads rapidly...An absorbing and compelling book." -Daniel J. Levitin, author of This Is Your Brain on Music and The World in Six Songs... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1583333258
• ISBN13: 9781583333259
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Avery Publishing Group
• Length: 291 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.6" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Excellent discourse on rumor

Nicholas Di Fonzo's The Watercooler Effect, while not my usual fare, turned out to be quite interesting. It is a thorough study of rumors, complete with the results of research that has gone into people's fondness for rumor and its continued preponderance. I was particularly fascinated with the clear differentiation between what is rumor and what is merely gossip, and the different ways in which the two are disseminated. Prior to reading this book, I had never considered that rumors could have real value. They help to explain the unexplainable, they provide sources of information in situations of fear and they can be used to pass on information which people should have, but which can't be seen to come from a particular source. The concept of rumor management also had me thinking. Why people continue to pass on rumors without checking on the background facts (especially now with the proliferation of the Internet) is something I still don't understand. I did appreciate the sources given for fact-checking of the rumors and urban legends that come our way every day via our email. The examples provided throughout the book, along with the results of the studies done went a long way toward helping me understand the concepts involved. I would have preferred some more detail and cohesion to the examples however. They sometimes felt a little disjointed and truncated. Far from a dry, boring report however, this book was wonderfully readable and very interesting and I think that anyone who wants a layman's understanding about how rumors and gossip drive our daily interactions would enjoy reading it.

Very timely, during election season

The Watercooler Effect is a very timely piece of work. It is, after all, election season. My inbox has been overflowing with forwarded bits of political "information," most of it nonsense. I'd always believed this was primarily designed to sway my vote one way or another, but it turns out there may be other forces at work. I was most interested in this book because of my interest in political rumors, and it is interesting to consider them in the light of some of the information presented here. For example, people spread political gossip not just to sway your vote, but also to reinforce their own status within the group; according to DiFonzo, "people are are not always primarily interested in the truth when they speak together, but rather to find ways to affiliate and bond with one another." Another interesting issue is that of fact-checking. I have often wondered why people who forward those viral emails don't take a minute or two to check their facts. After all, who wants to look foolish, forwarding a hoax? Apparently, that is part of the answer: people don't check their facts because they don't want to embarass the person who sent them the rumor. (That has never stopped me, for the record. I am in favor of embarassing mass-forwarders whenever I can.) No excuse, in my opinion, for some of the dreck that gets passed around. Generally speaking, this is an interesting and timely book, but you won't find any startling revelations here. There are some interesting anecdotes and a lot of common sense information, including some techniques for managing the rumor mill that might be useful for those readers forced to deal with office politics.

He Said, She Said EXPLORED!

The Watercooler Effect was surprising to me as I thought it would be a dull, scientific stuffy type read and that isn't my kind of reading. However, Nicholas DiFonzo kept my attention with his smart and clever examples and explanations. In fact, the lack of too much boring research surprised me. After studying why we spread rumors, DiFonzo also discussed why we believe in them and what rumors do to each of us. We all know how we are taught in school that rumors can spread and change with each telling and this book looks into how rumors can affect our lives and how we act. DiFonzo studied rumors for more than 15 years and explains the process of how rumors basically get started mostly around areas such as the coffee pot or watercooler at work. Probably more interesting is what he found out about why we spread rumors. Using some humor, the author tells a lot about the person who is spreading them. He found that when people are in an uncomfortable situation, they like to talk to one another to get some relief and thus the rumors are born. DiFonzo analyzed some specialized rumors that play even bigger roles in our lives. Those included ones made in the military and government situations. Thank goodness he found that most military rumors tend to be true while most often political rumors do not. In this highly active political year, I bet we would all agree with that! The book was an interesting "one of a kind read" and although not my normal kind of book choice, I found it interesting and very clever. It is good to know and be reminded, however, that rumors can hurt people and that most people take them, sadly, at face value. Submitted by Karen Haney, September, 2008

Review

What makes a rumor? That is the question. We all know what a rumor is. It can be described as "an unverified account or explanation of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in public concern". In The Watercooler Effect, Nicholas DiFonzo explores as well as explains why we as a society latch onto rumors in addition to how they get started. DiFonzo provides the reader examples of some very popular rumors and myths. He explains that some times a rumor can get started just by someone providing minimum information or the listener mixing up some information. Think of it like the game "telephone". The more people who pass on the information, the less the end result turns out to be from the beginning. So why do we spread rumors or even claim a hint of legitimacy to these facts if all rumors are just that.....rumors. It's because it's one way we communicate. One of the biggest reasons we pay any attention to hearsay is fear. You say well that is stupid. There is no truth to rumors, so why would I fear them. It's for the simple fact that when we hear something that could jeopardize our jobs or maybe it's because we are just trying to make sense of all the situations happening around the world; whatever the case may be, we are wanting to reveal the certainty that circumstances surrounding us are going to be ok. I didn't know quite what to expect when I started reading The Watercooler Effect. I knew though that the subject that was going to be discussed within this book was going to be interesting. Well it definitely was. Nicholas DiFonzo explanations were enlightening even though I wish there had been more examples I was still pleased with this novel. It made me think more about what's in a rumor as well as trying not to help spread the rumor mill right away. The Watercooler Effect is one of those novels everyone should read at least one.