text: Overcoming terminal cancer through healthy eating - that statement in print appears dubious at best. But it becomes completely believable when it is brought to life through the inspirational, optimistic, comeback story of a charismatic, beautiful, young woman named Belle Gibson. Belle cast a spell through her endearing vulnerability and charming personality, collecting an enormous social media following who were enamoured with her brave account of reclaiming her health. Wellness warrior Belle Gibson has admitted that she never had cancer and does not want forgiveness . Now that Belle has admitted she made her story up, we ask ourselves, how could we have fallen so hard for an account of what many have called a medical miracle, without a shred of supporting evidence? The answer is very simple. We wanted to believe. And we did not so much believe in Belle´s story, as we believed in Belle. Everyone loves a heart-warming account of overcoming the odds. We were enchanted by Belle´s journey, as well as by Belle herself. A beautiful, young, inspirational woman, we fell in love with her story as well as with her—which caused us even to downplay the rumours and suspicions of sceptics within the medical community as the fabric of her brave fight against cancer began to unravel. Here are five ways that the Belle´s of the world win us over. She founded the Whole Pantry - a book and app which over 300,000 people have downloaded . Appearances are Reality—and Seeing is Believing . Believe it or not, studies show that people cannot distinguish between behaviour that is honest and behaviour that is deceptive. This causes us to make the easier judgement—that other people are truthful. To make matters worse, when we like someone, we are likely to believe they are truthful, even when they are lying. How do we overcome the truthfulness bias? One way is to closely examine a person´s motives. When someone relays a heart-warming story, as Belle did, what is she getting out of it? While many people do not want to spoil a happy ending with a cloud of suspicion, examining prospective outcomes for the storyteller often raises suspicions about potential ulterior motives that might otherwise never come to light. Wendy L. Patrick PhD says we fell for Belle Gibson because 'we love heartwarming stories—especially comeback stories' Born to Bond - There is a Bit of Belle in All of Us . We love heart-warming stories—especially comeback stories. Especially when we feel an affinity to the heroine. We were Belle´s cheerleaders as she recounted her fight against cancer—using a weapon we all have at our disposal: healthy eating. Every one of us could be Belle in the future, because cancer strikes without warning. We loved walking along side her in her journey, recognizing there is a bit of Belle in all of us. We identified with her vulnerability, celebrated her success in regaining her health, and felt empowered by the recognition that although we each face different hurdles, if she could beat the odds, so can we. 'We loved walking along side her in her journey, recognizing there is a bit of Belle in all of us' Credibility Clouds Perception: Failing to Heed Belle´s Alarm Bells . Credible people are welcome sources of security. We feel comfortable following their lead, and taking their advice. Belle released a whole foods recipe book and top-rating food app, which thousands of people bought. Why? Because she was a certified nutritionist? Because the medical community validated her recipes? Nope. Simply because we liked her, and therefore viewed her as credible. When we view someone as credible, we rely on their guidance and believe what they say. Unfortunately, this blind trust can create emotional blinders that cause us to miss, misinterpret, or discount red flags. Credibility is not a speaker trait, but a perception created in an audience. Credible, likeable, well-spoken communicators are believed to possess a wide range of positive traits including reliability, trustworthiness, goodwill, and expertise. Believe it or not, we also view such people as an authority, even when we do not have any personal knowledge of their credentials. Wendy L Patrick is the author of RED FLAGS: How to Spot Frenemies, Underminers, and Toxic People . The Power of Attraction—the Halo Effect . Belle Gibson is an attractive young woman with an endearing personality. We can´t help but smile as we watch the video footage documenting her journey, including her hopes, dreams, and bright plans for the future. Belle´s emotional appeal stems from the halo effect—where we tend to clothe attractive, likeable people with a host of other positive characteristics that they do not have. These characteristics include trustworthiness and honesty. 'Once we form a positive impression of another person, good luck trying to change our mind' Trading Rose Colored Glasses for Reading Glasses . Once we form a positive impression of another person, good luck trying to change our mind. We are incredibly resistant to negative information that threatens an emotionally pleasing positive impression we have of someone we have grown to like, respect, or admire. So many people fell in love with Belle´s approachable, endearing, likeable persona, they were fanatical in their support of her straightforward, simple, healthy strategy of battling one of the world´s deadliest conditions. The lesson here? The next time you hear a seemingly unbelievable story narrated by an attractive, emotional pleasing storyteller, trade in your rose colored classes for reading glasses, to ensure that you can and should believe what you see. Dr. Patrick's book outlines how to spot 'emotional blinders' and what red flags to pay attention to . Wendy L Patrick PhD is the author of RED FLAGS: How to Spot Frenemies, Underminers, and Toxic People, available now through Nero .
target: Wendy L. Patrick PhD is the author of Red Flags: How to Spot Frenemies, Underminers, and Toxic People .
  Dr Patrick has outlined the five reasons the we fell for Belle Gibson's story .
  Belle Gibson released a book and app about how she beat terminal cancer .
  This week she finally admitted she never actually had cancer .
  She explains that there is a bit of Belle in all of us as we are born to bond .
  'We were Belle´s cheerleaders as she recounted her fight against cancer'