Welcome to ProfessorNick.com

Dr. Nicholas DiFonzo, often called "Professor Nick" by his students, is a leading expert in the psychology of rumor.

A professor in the Department of Psychology at Rochester Institute of Technology, DiFonzo has written two books on hearsay, Rumor Psychology (with Prashant Bordia) and The Watercooler Effect, as well as numerous articles, chapters, and reports about this intriguing facet of human social experience.

The Watercooler Effect (Penguin Books) will arrive in bookstores on September 11, 2008.

Professor Nick has spoken to business, organizational, and academic audiences concerning rumors, rumor psychology, rumor accuracy, and rumor management.

As an expert witness, Professor Nick has testified in court cases concerning rumor and helped attorneys, judges and juries understand their effects, how they spread, why they are believed, and how they may be managed.

On this website, you can learn more about rumor and how it may be managed. You can explore excerpts from both books and a reading guide, see and hear podcasts with Professor Nick, take a survey on a rumor that you've heard, and find resources and press articles as well.

Visit Professor Nick's blog, where he posts information and ideas about rumor, and answers questions from people seeking help in managing and understanding rumors.