A Sense of Authenticity

There is a subtle difference in tone when someone knows something and when they have just learnt it. We can sniff out a speech that has been repeated till it has been perfected, or if someone has lived and breathed the content. A sense of authenticity.

I love the idea of Method acting. Christian Bale is a well-known practitioner.

'Method acting combines the actor's careful consideration of the character's psychological motives and personal identification with the character, possibly including a reproduction of the character's emotional state by recalling emotions or sensations from the actor's own life'

I think what actors are doing here is trying to trick our sense of authenticity. In how pleasure works, psychologist Paul Bloom (@paulbloomatyale)looks at the psychology behind what makes us enjoy things. He discusses how deep pleasure is for us below the surface level. How important the hidden essences or story are for us. In the TED clip below (and in the book), he tells the story of how Hermann Goering was sold a fake Vermeer which came out when the dealer was put on trial for treason after the war. When Goering, Hitler's second in command and chosen successor, found out...

'He looked as if for the first time he had discovered there was evil in the world'

This is the reason why sometimes two people can deliver exactly the same message, but it matters to the recipient who the person speaking is. It is not just about the content. It is also about the story of the content. That is why I think we are very forgiving of people who don't write or speak that well, but they are writing or speaking about something they have actually done.

Then it is not just our mind that listens.

[Correction: I had to change my original post which incorrectly referred to Goebbels not Goering.]