Why do people seem to believe every outrageous thing they hear online?

People have been forwarding emails for years and years, social networking has been popular for a long time now… and the same old nonsense has been passed around since it all started.

How is it that people haven’t learned the lesson, yet? Why do so many people automatically believe the latest forward?

Please don’t say “because people are stupid.” I have seen doctors, teachers, people that I know are generally intelligent and rational… who pass these things on.

What is it about internet rumors that make us inclined to believe them, even when they are pretty far out there?