Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Gotham (2011), ebook edition, 302 pages
Description
An entertaining illumination of the stupid beliefs that make us feel wise. You believe you are a rational, logical being who sees the world as it really is, but journalist David McRaney is here to tell you that you're as deluded as the rest of us. But that's OK- delusions keep us sane. You Are Not So Smart is a celebration of self-delusion. It's like a psychology class, with all the boring parts taken out, and with no homework. Based on the popular blog of the same name, You Are Not So Smart collects more than 46 of the lies we tell ourselves everyday, including: Dunbar's Number - Humans evolved to live in bands of roughly 150 individuals, the brain cannot handle more than that number. If you have more than 150 Facebook friends, they are surely not all real friends. Hindsight bias - When we learn something new, we reassure ourselves that we knew it all along. Confirmation bias - Our brains resist new ideas, instead paying attention only to findings that reinforce our preconceived notions. Brand loyalty - We reach for the same brand not because we trust its quality but because we want to reassure ourselves that we made a smart choice the last time we bought it.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member apfergus
McRaney's delivery humbles without humiliating the reader. You Are Not So Smart, the book and the blog, have earned a place on my recommended reading list for skeptics. While there is an extensive bibliography in the back of the book, it lacks inline citations--my only real complaint.
LibraryThing member chuewyc
depressing and interesting at the same time. Really goes in to depths all the mistakes we make and it caught me several times thinking that i am smarter than i am. The book gets a little tiresome as you read on but overall worth the read
LibraryThing member anna_in_pdx
I bought this book (in ebook format) because I am a big fan of McRaney's blog of the same name. It is very entertaining and an easy read. The descriptions of the experiments are well done and he explains the concepts so that a lay person can easily understand it. The second-person narrative is
Some of the chapters were less than convincing and I would argue that at times he misdiagnosed what was going on (an example was the chapter on marketing and anti consumerist movements). Also, the overall tone was so "internetty" and blog-like that it did not feel like a book. But it was still very much worth reading and I will certainly want to dip into it again and again.
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funny and constantly reminds the reader that these cognitive biases affect us all, not just other people. Some of the chapters were less than convincing and I would argue that at times he misdiagnosed what was going on (an example was the chapter on marketing and anti consumerist movements). Also, the overall tone was so "internetty" and blog-like that it did not feel like a book. But it was still very much worth reading and I will certainly want to dip into it again and again.
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LibraryThing member jeffjardine
This book is just fantastic, as is McRaney's blog. It is a catalogue of reminders (some gentle, some not so much) that these human brains we lug around were developed for use in small groups on the wild African veldt millennia ago, and that adapting them for navigating modern life comes with many
It is a quick and enjoyable read. I'd say it is an ideal toilet book - the chapters are just the right length, and a daily reminder that 'You are Not so Smart' is just what the world needs.
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pitfalls. After spending some time thinking about the many cognitive and logical fallacies we all suffer from, it's hard not to be a little more compassionate and understanding of one's fellow humans.It is a quick and enjoyable read. I'd say it is an ideal toilet book - the chapters are just the right length, and a daily reminder that 'You are Not so Smart' is just what the world needs.
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LibraryThing member SharronA
Informative, entertaining, and downright FUN! Even after hearing about many pitfalls and traps our brains are subject to, there's really no preventing it. We are human, after all!
LibraryThing member dickmanikowski
The author presents highly readable brief chapters on nearly four dozen ways in which our memory, logic, and judgment aren't quite what we think we are. He illustrates each of them with summaries of psychological experiments.
If you're looking for a book to savor in brief pretty much self-contained
If you're looking for a book to savor in brief pretty much self-contained
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chunks, this is for you. Show Less
LibraryThing member HollyBoggie
Fascinating. Great insights into our self-delusions, with scientific studies to back up the position. Very engaging. It's sobering to realize how deluded we humans can be, but good information to use for self-awareness and self-improvement. I listened to it on audible, but I imagine it would also
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be a real "page-turner" if read in hard copy. Show Less
LibraryThing member satyridae
This was a really interesting and fun book. Basically, everything you know about yourself and how your mind works is wrong. McRaney breaks down all sorts of assumptions and shortcuts. It's accessible, it's amusing, it's sobering and hard to hold on to. Highly recommended.
LibraryThing member hayduke
In reality, I would give this book three-and-a-half stars. It started off as a blog called "You Are Not So Smart," and Mr. McRaney was convinced to turn his psychology posts into a book. This book then reads as a collection of short essays, each one dealing with a different mind process. The book
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is filled with interesting information, based on years of research. In fact the book made me want to seek out the original works that the author continually refers to. The snippets contained within are funny, interesting and might even have you rethink the way you think. Show Less
LibraryThing member clmerle
This is a great book. It's true we are not so smart. I am not so smart. If you are a consumer, a voter, this may help you cut through the nonsense and deceptions bombarding you every day. I'd recommend checking the blog the book is based on, read a few and if you like the essays, pick up a copy of
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the book like I did. It is an eye opening book and as the author said, even though we are not so smart, it's OK because we are human. Show Less
LibraryThing member jefware
Forty-four illusions we have about ourselves and others. Presents the studies that make social psychologist believe this. Not a good book for building up self esteem, but an excellent step in understanding yourself.
LibraryThing member mariusgm
This is the true manual for the brain not that NLP stuff I was reading in the past. My brain is ashamed, all its tricks and tactics are revealed and presented simple and clear.
LibraryThing member ljhliesl
A little too casual in style for a published book. I hadn't known of the site before the book.
LibraryThing member Jessi.Rhodes
Interesting and easy to follow and understand, highly recommend
LibraryThing member MarkBeronte
Growing out of David McRaney’s popular blog, You Are Not So Smart reveals that every decision we make, every thought we contemplate, and every emotion we feel comes with a story we tell ourselves to explain them. But often these stories aren’t true. Each short chapter—covering topics such as
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Learned Helplessness, Selling Out, and the Illusion of Transparency—is like a psychology course with all the boring parts taken out. Show Less
LibraryThing member StigE
This book excellently lists a number of the ways we delude ourselves, backs the assertions up with sources and uses examples to illustrate how we this affects us in every day life. It is a real eye opener, and one of those books I found lives in me after I closed the last page. It is not perfect
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and some of the topics are not delved deeply into (ad hominem is an examples) and could benefit from more examples and fleshing out. The language also changes throughout the book and makes this feel more like a collection of essays than a single book. Just by giving this a strong 4 stars and pointing to what I think is a flaw, I may have committed two of the errors of thinking described in the book. Oh well :-) Show Less
LibraryThing member iReadby
Readers Beware!!! NEVER believe a book that presents "all-or-nothing" concepts as absolute truth!! And that's exactly what David McRaney's book attempts to do. Each chapter identifies a "Misconception" and a "Truth" attempting to persuade the reader to believe "The Truth" as the author sees
For example, one chapter titled "The Bystander Effect" states this misconception When someone is hurt, people rush to their aid and the truth as The more people who witness a person in distress, the less likely it is that any one person will help. The author defines this "truth" even more simply: "I could help them, but I'm sure someone else will come along." Followed by "Everyone thinks that. And no one stops.
Is David McRaney for real?! True, this phenomenon has been researched and proven to be credible among social psychologists, BUT it is NOT an all-inclusive/exclusive "doctrinal truth" for the entire human population. David McRaney chooses not include the "rest of the story". He lists only specific, well-known events that prove his point. But what about the population of people that have stepped in to help someone who was hurt? Where are those studies? Non-existent? Maybe. Why? Because they are incidental. You might hear about some altruistic stranger who came to someone's rescue on the evening news every now and then, but that's about it.
I have personally experienced a few "emergency" situations among a crowd and the Bystander Effect was never the case. Sweeping conclusions that present outcomes as either black or white are very dangerous. This author is irresponsible at best and deceptive at worst. I will concede that some of the chapters do provide "food for thought", especially The Straw Man Fallacy which addresses how we attempt to win an argument by re-framing our opponent's position (i.e.making it personal, etc.). The only conclusion one can glean from this book is that the "misconceptions" and "truths" David McRaney identifies are unprovable. Circumstantial. Biased. To lump the behavior of the majority of the human population into these "boxed" fallacies is insulting.
If you're a free-thinker, creative problem-solver, or desire to see the whole picture beyond "the elephant's trunk", then this book will most likely be a waste of time...unless of course anger spurs you to action. In that case, I would make it a case study.
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it...biased and supported with biased, shallow research. What the author fails to do is provide evidence to the contrary. He presents a very subjective, one-sided argument in favor of his beliefs on a variety of so-called "myths" and "facts".For example, one chapter titled "The Bystander Effect" states this misconception When someone is hurt, people rush to their aid and the truth as The more people who witness a person in distress, the less likely it is that any one person will help. The author defines this "truth" even more simply: "I could help them, but I'm sure someone else will come along." Followed by "Everyone thinks that. And no one stops.
Is David McRaney for real?! True, this phenomenon has been researched and proven to be credible among social psychologists, BUT it is NOT an all-inclusive/exclusive "doctrinal truth" for the entire human population. David McRaney chooses not include the "rest of the story". He lists only specific, well-known events that prove his point. But what about the population of people that have stepped in to help someone who was hurt? Where are those studies? Non-existent? Maybe. Why? Because they are incidental. You might hear about some altruistic stranger who came to someone's rescue on the evening news every now and then, but that's about it.
I have personally experienced a few "emergency" situations among a crowd and the Bystander Effect was never the case. Sweeping conclusions that present outcomes as either black or white are very dangerous. This author is irresponsible at best and deceptive at worst. I will concede that some of the chapters do provide "food for thought", especially The Straw Man Fallacy which addresses how we attempt to win an argument by re-framing our opponent's position (i.e.making it personal, etc.). The only conclusion one can glean from this book is that the "misconceptions" and "truths" David McRaney identifies are unprovable. Circumstantial. Biased. To lump the behavior of the majority of the human population into these "boxed" fallacies is insulting.
If you're a free-thinker, creative problem-solver, or desire to see the whole picture beyond "the elephant's trunk", then this book will most likely be a waste of time...unless of course anger spurs you to action. In that case, I would make it a case study.
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LibraryThing member maximnoronha
This is basically a bit of a miscellany, a list if you will, of prejudices, biases and what have you - things psychological - a few examples of studies or "research" - the kind you read in the papers, you know the type - filed by "agencies", followed by a brief, generalized conclusion at best. I
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have never been able to totally buy into the research really. I can't see how a lab experiment involving rats is applicable to humans or a survey conducted in a department store parking lot, "responded" to by 20 odd people with nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon, in a half-assed manner can speak for the rest of humanity. But, hey, what do I know. My opinion as regards the read though - A bit monotonous, if not tedious, to do all at one go. But it's alright. I think I can find some use for it. If nothing else, I now have a whole new bunch of terms with which to judge the rest of y'all with. Show Less
LibraryThing member heradas
Filled with 48 cognitive biases, failures and quirks, 'You Are Not So Smart' illustrates the different ways that our brains fail us. For a book chock full of psychological studies and examples of cognitive failure, it's surprisingly fun. It's also really good at tricking the reader into a false
I'll definitely read this again throughout my life to keep myself thinking about thinking. It seems to be a pretty good way to stop myself from tricking myself.
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sense of security or superiority, and then showing exactly why they're not so smart. I'll definitely read this again throughout my life to keep myself thinking about thinking. It seems to be a pretty good way to stop myself from tricking myself.
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LibraryThing member spbooks
This book is essential reading for everyone — that is, everyone who considers themselves a flawed human. Those who don’t probably wouldn’t want to read it in case their delusions are shattered. It’s a wonderfully playful look at the ways our brains delude and deceive us. Each chapter starts
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with a brief statement of a misconception followed by the truth. Then the author provides a simple, fascinating account of the scientific and psychological research that shows how the misconception and the truth are produced by our brains. It’s a very enjoyable read and highly relevant in our contemporary society when there is so much our brains have to work with in deluding us. If you are looking to improve your intellectual humility, this is the book to do it. By the end of the 48 chapters, you won’t trust what your brain is telling you, you’ll be more cautious about what you think you know, and marvel at the highly sophisticated organ you have inside your head. Don’t miss this intriguing, enlightening, easy-to-read book! Show Less
LibraryThing member SylviaC
About the tricks our minds play to manage all the data that we are constantly trying to process. It was quite interesting, but went on for too long. Anyone who has take an introductory psychology course will be familiar with most of the information presented. Around chapter 30 I started skipping
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ahead when chapters seemed repetitive. I think it would be better for dipping into, rather than reading straight through. Show Less
LibraryThing member mirikayla
Sounds interesting, although I have to say none of the examples in the preview are particularly compelling. I mean, does anyone actually believe that all 500 of their Facebook friends are real friends? I'll need to hear more about that brand loyalty one, as well, because it doesn't make much sense
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to me just on the face of it. Show Less
LibraryThing member addunn3
The book is an enjoyable read (listen) as the author explores many of the things we know that turn out not to be true. I could add a few more - like we think we can do two things at once (type and watch TV) - but we can't!
LibraryThing member bness2
Excellent overview of the many was our brains hijack our rationality. McRainey draws from classic psychological research, as well as more contemporary studies to show how our subconscious and other aspects of brain function cause us to be less smart than we think we are. He covers an amazing amount
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of territory in this regard, and does so in a very clear and engaging manner. If you want to learn more about how your brain may be working against you and making you more stupid than you realize, read this. Show Less
LibraryThing member AJBraithwaite
A lot of this book covered ground that was fairly familiar to me from other, similar reads, but it was still informative and generally interesting. Even if it did leave me feeling as though I can never trust my own judgement or memory ever again.
Language
Original publication date
2011-11-01
Local notes
You believe you are a rational, logical being who sees the world as it really is, but journalist David McRaney is here to tell you that you're as deluded as the rest of us. But that's OK- delusions keep us sane.
Nothing earth-shattering, and poorly referenced, but interesting none-the-less.
Nothing earth-shattering, and poorly referenced, but interesting none-the-less.
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