Why we make mistakes : how we look without seeing, forget things in seconds, and are all pretty sure we are way above average

We forget our passwords. We pay too much to go to the gym. We think we'd be happier if we lived in California (we wouldn't), and we think we should stick with our first answer on tests (we shouldn't). Why do we make mistakes? And could we do a little better?We human beings have design flaws. Our eyes play tricks on us, our stories change in the retelling, and most of us are fairly sure we're way above average. In Why We Make Mistakes, journalist Joseph T. Hallinan sets out to explore the captivating science of human error--how we think, see, remember, and forget, and how this sets us up for wholly irresistible mistakes.In his quest to understand our imperfections, Hallinan delves into psychology, neuroscience, and economics, with forays into aviation, consumer behavior, geography, football, stock picking, and more. He discovers that some of the same qualities that make us efficient also make us error prone. We learn to move rapidly through the world, quickly recognizing patterns--but overlooking details. Which is why thirteen-year-old boys discover errors that NASA scientists miss--and why you can't find the beer in your refrigerator. Why We Make Mistakes is enlivened by real-life stories--of weathermen whose predictions are uncannily accurate and a witness who sent an innocent man to jail--and offers valuable advice, such as how to remember where you've hidden something important. You'll learn why multitasking is a bad idea, why men make errors women don't, and why most people think San Diego is west of Reno (it's not).Why We Make Mistakes will open your eyes to the reasons behind your mistakes--and have you vowing to do better the next time. WHY WE MAKE MISTAKES: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average (2009)......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Introduction: Why Do We Make Mistakes? Because.........Page 10 To Err Is 90 Percent Human......Page 11 We Take the Good with the Bad......Page 12 The World Around Us Isn't Helping......Page 13 Awareness Is All......Page 16 01: We Look but Don't Always See......Page 20 We See a Fraction of What We Think We See......Page 21 The Expert's Quiet Eye......Page 22 We Notice on a Need-to-Know Basis......Page 23 Movie Mistakes......Page 24 We See What We Are......Page 26 You Can't Handle the Truth......Page 28 We 're Built to Quit......Page 30 Please Stow Your Gun in the Overhead Compartment......Page 32 Meaning Matters; Details Don't......Page 34 Names Don't Matter......Page 37 A Slip of the Tongue?......Page 38 We Recall Part, but Not All......Page 39 We Can Make the Meaningless Meaningful......Page 40 Why We Forget Passwords and Hiding Places......Page 42 Making Faces More Memorable......Page 46 How Not to Identify a Suspect......Page 47 The Ugly Face of Crime......Page 50 03: We Connect the Dots......Page 52 Snap Judgments Are Hard to Shake......Page 53 A Woman's Body Gives Her Away......Page 54 It's Not the Wine ; It's the Bottle......Page 58 Color Counts......Page 59 Why You Should Change Your Answer......Page 60 The Role of Regret......Page 62 Some Mistakes Are More Memorable than Others......Page 63 04: We Wear Rose-Colored Glasses......Page 65 We Remember Our As......Page 66 Your World Revolves Around You......Page 68 Hindsight Isn't Twenty -Twenty......Page 73 Remembering Our Sex Partners......Page 75 Why Gamblers Are So Confident......Page 76 We're Shallower than We Realize......Page 77 Doctors Are Under the Influence......Page 79 Disclosing a Bias Doesn't Cancel the Bias......Page 80 The "Hey, I Warned You" Principle......Page 83 05: We Can Walk and Chew Gum but Not Much Else......Page 85 We're Not Really Multitasking......Page 86 Multitasking = Forgetting......Page 88 Bridge? What Bridge ?......Page 90 Keep Your Eyes on the Road......Page 92 A Living Room on Wheels-or a Hearse......Page 93 Your Distractible Brain......Page 96 Coming Soon : A Copilot for Your Car......Page 97 06: We're in the Wrong Frame of Mind......Page 100 How We Frame Issues......Page 101 Holding On to a Sure Thing......Page 104 Framing and Money......Page 106 How Time Affects Our Decisions......Page 107 Discovering the Price of Beauty......Page 109 Lessons from the Grocery Store......Page 111 The Power of a Home's Listing Price......Page 115 07: We Skim......Page 118 We Pay Attention to Beginnings......Page 119 A Mistake Only a Rookie Could Catch......Page 120 A Titanic Error......Page 121 Fool Me Twice......Page 122 The Importance of Context......Page 123 How a Walk in the Park Improves Memory......Page 125 Happy Endings......Page 126 08: We Like Things Tidy......Page 127 We Straighten the Seine......Page 128 An Information Hierarchy......Page 130 "The War of the Ghosts"......Page 132 O Say Can You Remember the Words to the National Anthem?......Page 136 How Much of What You Say Is True?......Page 137 Lying-or "Impression Management"?......Page 139 The Star-Spangled Banner......Page 142 09: Men Shoot First......Page 143 Overconfident Men......Page 144 Risk and Reward......Page 146 Lying and Lottery Tickets......Page 149 A Computer Error......Page 150 The Importance of Tinkering......Page 152 How Boys and Girls Navigate......Page 153 Making Maps......Page 154 Why Men Don't Ask for Directions......Page 155 10: We All Think We're Above Average......Page 158 Lessons from the Putting Green......Page 159 Why We Pay Not to Go to the Gym......Page 160 How Credit Cards Play on Your Overconfidence......Page 162 Knowing Your Limitations......Page 163 What Weather Forecasters Can Teach Us......Page 165 The Power of Feedback......Page 167 Warren Buffett's Biggest Mistake......Page 168 The Illusion of Control......Page 170 Information Overload......Page 171 Horse Sense......Page 172 Executive Decisions......Page 174 Confidence Quiz......Page 177 Lessons from the Putting Green-Part II......Page 178 Practice , Practice......Page 181 A Big Library of the Mind......Page 182 Cognitive Maps......Page 183 Hitting the Nail on the Head and in the Heart and the Neck......Page 185 The Seven - Hundred - Page Owner's Manual......Page 186 One-Trick Ponies......Page 189 Thinking Outside the Box......Page 190 12: We Don't Constrain Ourselves......Page 192 Making the Same Mistake-Twice......Page 193 What's in a Name?......Page 195 How Pilots Fly Straight......Page 196 Lessons for Error - Free Design......Page 197 Look ing for Root Causes......Page 198 Knowing Where to Look......Page 200 Attitude and Errors......Page 202 A Mutilating Surgery......Page 204 13: The Grass Does Look Greener......Page 207 "So Here's a Funny Story for You About L.A."......Page 208 Predicting How We (and Others) Will Feel......Page 210 Why Gift Cards Are a Bad Idea......Page 212 Focusing on the Wrong Things......Page 215 Conclusion......Page 219 Keep Tabs on Your Dry Holes......Page 221 Think Negatively......Page 222 Let Your Spouse Proofread......Page 223 Get Some Sleep......Page 225 How Happiness Helps......Page 227 Beating a Dead Horse......Page 228 The Currency of Life......Page 229 Acknowledgments......Page 231 References......Page 233 Bibiography......Page 246 INDEX......Page 281 About the Author......Page 290 We human beings have design flaws. Our eyes play tricks on us; our stories change in the retelling; and most of us are fairly sure were way above average. In Why We Make Mistakes , journalist Joseph T. Hallinan sets out to explore the science of human errorhow we think, see, remember, and forget, and how this sets us up for wholly irresistible mistakes. In his quest to understand our imperfections, Hallinan delves into psychology, neuroscience, and economics, with forays into aviation, consumer behavior, geography, football, stock picking, and more. He discovers that some of the same qualities that make us efficient also make us error prone. Why We Make Mistakes is enlivened by real-life stories--of weathermen whose predictions are uncannily accurate and a witness who sent an innocent man to jail--and offers valuable advice, such as how to remember where youve hidden something important. He explains why multitasking is a bad idea, why men make errors women dont. This book will open your eyes to the reasons behind your mistakes and have you vowing to do better the next time. Hallinan Sets Out To Explore The Captivating Science Of Human Error, And Delves Into Psychology, Neuroscience, And Economics To Discover Why Some Of The Same Qualities That Make Us Efficient Also Make Us Error-prone. We Look But Don't Always See -- We All Search For Meaning -- We Connect The Dots -- We Wear Rose-colored Glasses -- We Can Walk And Chew Gum- But Not Much Else -- We're In The Wrong Frame Of Mind -- We Skim -- We Like Things Tidy -- Men Shoot First -- Nobody Thinks They're Average -- We'd Rather Wing It -- We Don't Constrain Ourselves -- The Grass Does Look Greener. Joseph T. Hallinan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [239]-273) And Index.