You Are Not So Smart : Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, an D 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself

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. Packed with interesting sidebars and quick guides on cognition and common fallacies, You Are Not So Smart is a fascinating synthesis of cutting-edge psychology research to turn our minds inside out. **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. Packed with interesting sidebars and quick guides on cognition and common fallacies, __You Are Not So Smart__ is a fascinating synthesis of cutting-edge psychology research to turn our minds inside out. An entertaining illumination of the stupid beliefs that make us feel wise, based on the popular blog of the same name. Whether you’re deciding which smartphone to purchase or which politician to believe, you think you are a rational being whose every decision is based on cool, detached logic. But here’s the truth: You are not so smart. You’re just as deluded as the rest of us—but that’s okay, because being deluded is part of being human. 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 Learned Helplessness, Selling Out, and the Illusion of Transparency—is like a psychology course with all the boring parts taken out. Bringing together popular science and psychology with humor and wit, You Are Not So Smart is a celebration of our irrational, thoroughly human behavior. An entertaining illumination of the stupid beliefs that make us feel wise. Whether youre deciding which smart phone to purchase or which politician to believe, you think you are a rational being whose every decision is based on cool, detached logic, but heres the truth: You are not so smart. Youre just as deluded as the rest of us--but thats okay, because being deluded is part of being human. Growing out of David McRaneys 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 arent true. Each short chapter--covering topics such as Learned Helplessness, Selling Out, and the Illusion of Transparency--is like a psychology course with all the boring parts taken out. Bringing together popular science and psychology with humor and wit, You Are Not So Smart is a celebration of our irrational, thoroughly human behavior. Introduction: You Priming Confabulation Confirmation Bias Hindsight Bias The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy Procrastination Normalcy Bias Introspection The Availability Heuristic The Bystander Effect The Dunning-Kruger Effect Apophenia Brand Loyalty The Argument from Authority The Argument from Ignorance The Straw Man Fallacy The Ad Hominem Fallacy The Just-World Fallacy The Public Goods Game The Ultimatum Game Subjective Validation Cult Indoctrination Groupthink Supernormal Releasers The Affect Heuristic Dunbar's Number Selling Out Self-Serving Bias The Spotlight Effect The Third Person Effect Catharsis The Misinformation Effect Conformity Extinction Burst Social Loafing The Illusion of Transparency Learned Helplessness Embodied Cognition The Anchoring Effect Attention Self-Handicapping Self-Fulfilling Prophecies The Moment Consistency Bias The Representativeness Heuristic Expectation The Illusion of Control The Fundamental Attribution Error. Mcraney 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 Sometimes Those Stories Aren't True.