Authority bias is the tendency to attribute greater accuracy and credibility to the opinion of an authority figure — and to be more influenced by them — independent of whether their expertise is actually relevant.

Milgram's Landmark Study

In Stanley Milgram's famous 1961 obedience experiments, 65% of participants delivered what they believed were dangerous electric shocks to strangers — simply because an authority figure in a lab coat instructed them to continue.

Authority Signals That Trigger the Bias

• Titles: MD, PhD, CEO, Professor
• Uniforms and symbols of office
• Confident tone and expert vocabulary
• Institutional affiliation (Harvard, NASA, WHO)

The Critical Flaw

Authority in one domain does not transfer to others. A brilliant surgeon has no special authority over economic policy. A celebrity has none over nutrition.

Healthy Skepticism

Ask: Is this person's authority directly relevant to this specific claim? What is the actual evidence, independent of who is asserting it?

Reference:

Wikipedia: Authority Bias

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authority_bias