Podcast Summary: Something You Should Know

Episode Title: The Psychology of Being “Played for a Sucker” & Food Myths That Won’t Die
Host: Mike Carruthers | OmniCast Media
Date: December 1, 2025

Episode Overview

In this compelling episode, Mike Carruthers explores two fascinating and highly relatable topics. The first segment delves into why people fear being "played for a sucker"—how this fear affects choices, relationships, and societal behavior—with psychologist and law professor Tess Wilkinson-Ryan. The second segment features Dr. Joe Schwartz, science communicator and food expert, who debunks persistent food and nutrition myths, from burnt toast to artificial sweeteners.

Segment 1: The Psychology of “Being Played for a Sucker”

Guest: Tess Wilkinson-Ryan, University of Pennsylvania law professor & author

Key Points & Insights

1. The Universal Fear of Being a Sucker

• Tess and Mike discuss the deeply ingrained fear of being scammed or taken advantage of.
• This fear is bolstered by fables and cultural sayings like “Don’t take any wooden nickels” and “Fool me once, shame on me.”
  (05:31 - 06:59)

2. Is This Fear Human Nature or Learned Behavior?

• Tess suggests it's a combination: while some vigilance is natural, much is learned through stories and social conditioning.

  "There are studies... about sort of a natural ability to detect cheating, but... it's clearly learned...all of the different sayings we have that reinforce this message."
  — Tess Wilkinson-Ryan (06:11)

3. Experiment: How Risk Perception Changes Decisions

• Tess describes a study in which participants were more hesitant to invest in a scenario where the risk was due to potential fraud, rather than market error, even with the same level of risk.

  "If the mistake was the mistake of being scammed, they really were much more hesitant… by something like $30 out of $100."
  — Tess Wilkinson-Ryan (07:14 - 09:31)

4. The Emotional Cost of Betrayal

• Being scammed feels humiliating and isolating, imbued with self-blame and a sense of low social status.

  "Being a sucker is a very... alienating, kind of low status position to be in."
  — Tess Wilkinson-Ryan (09:33)

5. When Fear Works Against Us

• Often, the fear of being a sucker drives decisions more than is rational, causing people to miss opportunities or act against their interests.
• Examples include:
  • Overpaying for necessities (like expensive Gatorade during a bike ride) but nearly missing out due to pride. (10:43 - 12:17)
  • Refusing help to someone in need due to fear of being scammed, even when the risk is small and the potential good is significant. (14:06)
• The same reluctance shows up in donating in-kind instead of money to charities, sacrificing efficiency because of fear of misuse.

6. Regret and Rationalization

• Mike and Tess discuss how regret is stronger when you find out you've actually been scammed, versus when you’ll never know (e.g., handing cash to a stranger).

  "There's a super interesting research on regret... The things that makes people nervous is... the decisions they make that they know... they're going to find out whether or not they made the right decision."
  — Tess Wilkinson-Ryan (20:37)

7. Practical Takeaways

• The risk of being a sucker should be viewed like any other risk: weighed and prioritized, but not allowed to dominate decision-making.

  "Oftentimes the fear of playing the sucker gets to take up a ton of space in the decision that it doesn’t actually deserve.”
  — Tess Wilkinson-Ryan (21:23)

• Sometimes the actual goal is deeper: to be generous or compassionate, not simply to avoid losing money or face.

8. Cultural and Legal Implications

• This bias has wide-ranging effects, from personal life to litigation, as people pursue costly fights to avoid being “the sucker.”

  “In contracts there are... a ton of cases where you think these people are spending so much money to litigate a dispute because neither of them is willing to feel like they were the sucker." — Tess Wilkinson-Ryan (25:56)

9. Memorable Quotes

• "My only pitch here is just to right-size the risk, just to give it the space it deserves, rather than the sort of radioactive sense that I can't go anywhere near a situation that would make me feel a little bit foolish." — Tess Wilkinson-Ryan (24:46)
• "By putting that fear of being a sucker so high up on the priority list, you may be denying yourself some real possibilities and some real joy in life." — Mike Carruthers (28:15)

Timestamps for Notable Moments

• 05:07 — Introduction to the topic with Tess Wilkinson-Ryan
• 07:14 — Investment experiment
• 10:43 — The Vermont Gatorade anecdote
• 14:06 — Giving money to a stranger and the intersection with donations
• 21:23 — Practical takeaway: treat “sucker risk” like any other risk
• 25:56 — The effect of “sucker fear” in legal disputes

Segment 2: Food Myths That Won’t Die

Guest: Dr. Joe Schwartz, Director, McGill University's Office for Science and Society

Key Points & Insights

1. Burnt Toast and Cancer

• The carcinogen acrylamide forms when foods like bread are burnt; high doses cause cancer in lab animals, but there’s no evidence occasional burnt toast is a risk to humans.

  “The cornerstone of toxicology is that only the dose makes the poison.”
  — Dr. Joe Schwartz (33:14)

2. Misleading Claims about Memory Supplements

• There’s no compelling evidence that memory-boosting supplements work; the best approach is a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

  “There is absolutely no compelling literature that any of these supplements will have any benefit.”
  — Dr. Joe Schwartz (36:19)

3. Performance-Enhancing Supplements

• Protein supplements are helpful for serious athletes; creatine can boost performance in specific sports. For most people, a balanced diet suffices.

  “Protein shakes, protein smoothies, yes, those will help regenerate muscles... But they will not build muscle on their own.”
  — Dr. Joe Schwartz (38:05)

4. Is Food Medicine?

• Diet is crucial for prevention and sometimes management (e.g., diabetes), but rarely a treatment once disease is developed. Genetics and other environmental factors also play in.

  “Food is one player in the whole health game.”
  — Dr. Joe Schwartz (41:52)

5. Demonized Foods (Nightshade Vegetables, Tomatoes)

• Popular food fears (like those concerning eggplant, tomatoes) are unsupported by science.
• The tale of tomatoes being once thought poisonous in America is apocryphal (not true). (42:02 - 43:58)

6. Intermittent Fasting

• Evidence suggests it helps with weight loss because it curbs total calorie intake, mainly by forcing people to cut late-day snacking.

  “Studies show that people who go in for intermittent fasting do consume fewer calories.”
  — Dr. Joe Schwartz (44:11)

7. The Value of a Plant-Based Diet

• The closer you get to a plant-based diet, the healthier you’ll likely be; science supports this in incremental steps, not big revelations.

  “Science doesn’t work by leaps and bounds... The closer we are to a plant-based diet, the better off we are.”
  — Dr. Joe Schwartz (45:33)

8. Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners

• Western diets generally contain too much sugar, leading to obesity and dental issues; artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose may negatively affect gut bacteria, though they don't seem to contribute to weight loss as hoped.

  "A can of soft drink can contain 40 grams of sugar, which is actually more than the amount of added sugar that we should be eating during a day."
  — Dr. Joe Schwartz (46:19)

• Stevia is safe but has a taste some people dislike. Neither sugar nor artificial sweeteners offer magic solutions.

  “I'm not a big fan of artificial sweeteners and of course I'm not a big fan of the overconsumption of sugar either. I think we need to cut down on both.”
  — Dr. Joe Schwartz (48:59)

9. Memorable Quotes

• “Only the dose makes the poison.” (33:14)
• “The more fruits and vegetables you eat, the more likely you are to prevent any kind of memory problems.” (36:19)

Timestamps for Notable Moments

• 32:51 — Introduction to Dr. Joe Schwartz
• 33:14 — The truth about burnt toast and cancer
• 36:19 — Memory supplements: fact or fiction?
• 38:05 — Do performance supplements work?
• 44:11 — Intermittent fasting science
• 46:19 — Sugar and artificial sweeteners
• 49:46 — Safety of stevia

Quick Life Tips Shared

• Staying Warm in Winter:
  • Protect your core (torso) as the body prioritizes organs over extremities.
  • Any skin exposure—not just the head—contributes to body heat loss, but hats are effective since they cover skin.
  • Staying well-hydrated helps your body retain heat. (47:47)

Conclusion – Key Takeaways

• On “Sucker” Psychology:
  Examine how your fear of being taken advantage of may be impacting your decisions—and try to evaluate risks rationally for the life you actually want to live.

• On Food Myths:
  Nutrition is nuanced. Avoid food hype and fearmongering—balanced, plant-forward diets win out, moderation is key, and “miracle” claims are rarely evidence-based.

This episode arms you with practical insights—whether in facing your next judgment call or reading your next nutrition headline—to help you live more thoughtfully and intelligently.

Notable Quotes:

• “Oftentimes the fear of playing the sucker gets to take up a ton of space in the decision that it doesn’t actually deserve.” (Tess Wilkinson-Ryan, 21:23)
• “Only the dose makes the poison.” (Dr. Joe Schwartz, 33:14)

For listeners who missed the episode, this summary covers the core themes and actionable wisdom—no need to fear missing out (or being played for a sucker yourself).