The Historical Genius Behind Trump's Paid Applauders

The laugh track was first invented to help a TV audience know when to laugh, because they no longer had the benefit of a live theater audience offering social cues. Often, we laugh because others are laughing.

The same is true for applause. Leaders throughout history have used paid applauders to exploit exactly this fact, and it may be making a comeback in Trump's America. It is as genius as it is diabolical, which is a combination that shows up more often in the history of persuasion than most of us would like to admit.

In a world filled with fake news, fake audiences and even fake enthusiasm, knowing when we are being manipulated is half the battle. The other half is shining a spotlight on it when we see it.