The Doorknob Principle

Yeah.  I don't write much now.  And by now, all five (or seven) have already realized that.

So here's the doorknob principle:

When people wait at a door and no one appears to be inside, immediately, the people already waiting will tell anyone who arrives that the door is locked.  However, if they do so, the new arrivers will try to open the door.  It is the action of warning that person that triggers the opposite reaction.

However, this is not the case with greater risk.  For example, if those same people are waiting at a door and instead they tell those who arrive that the doorknob is electrified and if the people arriving have the slightest reason to believe them, a battery or spark for example, then they will not attempt to open the door.  People are more likely to value words if they are larger.

Skepticism actually applies to tiny truths rather than large lies.