On the Reception and Detection of Pseudo-Profound Bullshit

[Jackalope]

Here's the first of four studies they did for the paper:

We presented participants with ten statements that have syntactic structure but that consist of a series of randomly selected vague buzzwords.  Participants were asked to indicate the relative profundity of each statement on a scale from 1 (not at all profound) to 5 (very profound).  We argue that high ratings indicate receptivity toward bullshit.  Participants also completed a series of relevant cognitive and demographic questions.

The buzzwords were actually pulled from Deepak Chopra's Twitter feed. (!)  Examples of sentences were "Imagination is inside exponential space time events" and "We are in the midst of a self-aware blossoming of being that will align us with the nexus itself".

That's odd, it takes me little effort at all to dismiss both of those as word salad.