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

Author:   David McRaney
Publisher:   Gotham Books
ISBN:  

9781592406593


Pages:   302
Publication Date:   27 October 2011
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.

Our Price $59.40 Quantity:  
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You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself


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Overview

"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."

Full Product Details

Author:   David McRaney
Publisher:   Gotham Books
Imprint:   Gotham Books
Dimensions:   Width: 13.50cm , Height: 3.00cm , Length: 19.30cm
Weight:   0.363kg
ISBN:  

9781592406593


ISBN 10:   1592406599
Pages:   302
Publication Date:   27 October 2011
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Remaindered
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.

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Reviews

Every chapter is a welcome reminder that you are not so smart-yet you're never made to feel dumb. You Are Not So Smart is a dose of psychology research served in tasty anecdotes that will make you better understand both yourself and the rest of us. It turns out we're much more irrational than most of us think, so give yourself every advantage you can and read this book. <br> -Alexis Ohanian, Co-Founder of Reddit.com <br> You Are Not So Smart is the go-to blog for understanding why we all do silly things. <br> -Lifehacker.com <br> You'd think from the title that it might be curmudgeonly; in fact, You Are Not So Smart is quite big-hearted. <br> -Jason Kottke, Kottke.org <br> In an Idiocracy dominated by cable TV bobbleheads, government propagandists, and corporate spinmeisters, many of us know that mass ignorance is a huge problem. Now, thanks to David McRaney's mind-blowing book, we can finally see the scientific roots of that problem. Anybody still self-aware enoug


Every chapter is a welcome reminder that you are not so smart-yet you're never made to feel dumb. You Are Not So Smart is a dose of psychology research served in tasty anecdotes that will make you better understand both yourself and the rest of us. It turns out we're much more irrational than most of us think, so give yourself every advantage you can and read this book. Alexis Ohanian, Co-Founder of Reddit.com You Are Not So Smart is the go-to blog for understanding why we all do silly things. Lifehacker.com You'd think from the title that it might be curmudgeonly; in fact, You Are Not So Smart is quite big-hearted. Jason Kottke, Kottke.org In an Idiocracy dominated by cable TV bobbleheads, government propagandists, and corporate spinmeisters, many of us know that mass ignorance is a huge problem. Now, thanks to David McRaney's mind-blowing book, we can finally see the scientific roots of that problem. Anybody still self-aware enough to wonder why society now worships willful stupidity should read this book. -David Sirota, author of Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the World We Live In Now


You Are Not So Smart is the go-to blog for understanding why we all do silly things. ---Lifehacker.com You''d think from the title that it might be curmudgeonly; in fact, You Are Not So Smart is quite big-hearted. ---Jason Kottke, Kottke.org In an Idiocracy dominated by cable TV bobbleheads, government propagandists, and corporate spinmeisters, many of us know that mass ignorance is a huge problem. Now, thanks to David McRaney's mind-blowing book, we can finally see the scientific roots of that problem. Anybody still self-aware enough to wonder why society now worships willful stupidity should read this book. -David Sirota, author of Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the World We Live In Now You'd think from the title that it might be curmudgeonly; in fact, You Are Not So Smart is quite big-hearted. ---Jason Kottke, Kottke.org Every chapter is a welcome reminder that you are not so smart-yet you're never made to feel dumb. You Are Not So Smart is a dose of psychology research served in tasty anecdotes that will make you better understand both yourself and the rest of us. It turns out we're much more irrational than most of us think, so give yourself every advantage you can and read this book. Alexis Ohanian, Co-Founder of Reddit.com You Are Not So Smart is the go-to blog for understanding why we all do silly things. Lifehacker.com You'd think from the title that it might be curmudgeonly; in fact, You Are Not So Smart is quite big-hearted. Jason Kottke, Kottke.org In an Idiocracy dominated by cable TV bobbleheads, government propagandists, and corporate spinmeisters, many of us know that mass ignorance is a huge problem. Now, thanks to David McRaney's mind-blowing book, we can finally see the scientific roots of that problem. Anybody still self-aware enough to wonder why society now worships willful stupidity should read this book. -David Sirota, author of Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the World We Live In Now


You'd think from the title that it might be curmudgeonly; in fact, You Are Not So Smart is quite big-hearted. ---Jason Kottke, Kottke.org


Author Information

A two-time winner of the William Randolph Hearst Award, journalist David McRaney writes the blog youarenotsosmart.com. A self-described psychology nerd, he lives in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

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