“I would never fall for that” is one of the most common reactions to hearing about cult involvement — and, according to the research, one of the least reliable predictors of who actually does. Why the myth feels true Blaming the victim’s intelligence or gullibility is a comforting story because it lets everyone else off…

Psychologists Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary’s influential review of research on belonging found that the drive to form and maintain stable, positive relationships is a fundamental human motivation. People from the general population may view this need as a personality trait that some people have more of than others, but a baseline need that shapes…

Every year, ICAM opens with the same word, because it’s the one most people misunderstand: manipulation. And we’re not talking about a stranger with a slick pitch. We’re talking about the ordinary, incremental kind that builds trust first and asks for something only once that trust is in place. This week traces how that process…