Why do people all over the world believe strange things and allow themselves to be deceived? In his book, titled “Why People Believe Strange Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time,” M. Sherman explains why people believe strange things, as mentioned in the title of the book. According to him, most people who believe strange things and fall for hoaxes are normal human beings. The reason for gullibility is "thinking that somehow it went wrong." In his book there are four main and general errors or problems that lead people to believe strange things or fall for hoaxes. These are problems in pseudoscientific, psychological, scientific and logical thinking. In light of Sherman's book, I would explain that people believe strange things and fall for hoaxes due to thinking problems. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One of the thinking problems is the psychological problems in thinking, as mentioned in Sherman's book. In this category, he describes a very important example of psychological problems: "the need for certainty". In short, it says that in most events, most people need certain responses. At that point, I would say most people need some answers and want to be sure of their environment. Therefore, they may believe strange things and fall for hoaxes because they need an explanation even if it is very simple or strange. Take the case of Kevin Connolly's article, entitled "A Moving Tale from County Cork". It tells the story of the statue of the Virgin Mary in Ballinspittle and the people who believe the monument moves. Initially, a person or group of people claimed that the statue was moving. At that point people who were looking for an answer to the question "did he really move?" They believed the statue moved as a "need for certainty" because people do not want to be in a position where they know nothing about an event important to them. Therefore they could not wait for another answer that would explain why people saw the statue move. As I mentioned, the “need for certainty” is an instantaneous action that makes people believe strange or simple explanations. “Problems in pseudoscientific thinking” is another important reason why people believe strange things and fall for hoaxes. In this category, Sherman states that "rumors do not equal reality." According to him, rumors do not always tell the truth. Considering "pseudoscientific thinking" I would say that in some events rumors can make people believe strange things and fall into hoaxes. Take the case of Eric Tucker's article, titled 'Gorgeous Guy' A Big Fat Lie." In his article, he explains Dan Baca's deception. Dan Baca posted many messages, which included tributes to his abilities, to the message board. Furthermore, the messages informed people that Dan Baca was seen at the bus stop, therefore, using the Internet, he deceived people and forced them to visit the bus stop. In this example, the rumors make believe the people the hoax other people posted many rumors, which are messages, to the message board, so people believed that the “Gorgeous Guy” had gone out and went to see him at the bus stop. Another major reason for credulity is the “trouble logical in thinking." In this category, Sherman explains "ad ignorantiam" which means "If you cannot disprove a statement, it must be true. Furthermore, Sherman says that “over-reliance on authorities,” meaning that people believe most of what an authority says, is also a “problem."