The author of the widely praised Wordslut analyzes the social science of cult influence: how cultish groups from Jon estown and Scientology to SoulCycle and social media gurus use language as the ultimate form of power.
\nWhat makes &ldquo\;cults&rdquo\; so i ntriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so man y of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we&rsquo\;re looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join&mdash\;and more im portantly\, stay in&mdash\;extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell&rsquo\;s argument is that\, on some level \, it already has . . .
\nOur culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence\, mostly having to do with vague t alk of &ldquo\;brainwashing.&rdquo\; But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind-control wizardry or Kool-Aid. In Cultish\, Montell argue s that the key to manufacturing intense ideology\, community\, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy o nes\, cultish language is something we hear&mdash\;and are influenced by&m dash\;every single day.
\nThrough juicy storytelling and cutting ori ginal research\, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spec trum of communities &ldquo\;cultish\,&rdquo\; revealing how they affect fo llowers of groups as notorious as Heaven&rsquo\;s Gate\, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups\, Peloton leaderboards\, and Instagram feeds . Incisive and darkly funny\, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of & ldquo\;cultish&rdquo\; everywhere.
\n-from Goodreads
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