You Are Not So Smart cover art

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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You Are Not So Smart

By: David McRaney
Narrated by: Don Hagen
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About this listen

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.

©2011 David McRaney (P)2011 Gildan Media Corp Consciousness & Thought Movements Personal Development Personal Success Philosophy Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Human Brain

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Critic reviews

"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)
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This books deals with aspects of the way we make sense of things and does so without saying "cognitive psychology" too often. We all live in our own heads and so understanding how and why we simplify, distort and just generally make things up is both informative and entertaining. At the end of this book you may never see advertising quite the same way again and it may even have you doubting your own memory (hint: all memory is a construct and not very reliable)



I really enjoyed is book and it's short chapters make for great short snippets while driving/commuting.

Interesting and accessible psychology

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Would you listen to You Are Not So Smart again? Why?

Yes as there is so much to take in - should really listen to it in parts next and consider each idea as it's explained

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I wouldn't - happy with it as it was

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes - I really liked the narrators tone - it made it sound exciting and easy to listen to and understand.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. So much to think over it would have been a waste to have it all read in one go.

Any additional comments?

Very enjoyable, interesting and educating!

Explains a lot of things I thought but didn't know

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I wouldn't say it was a wasted 8 hours, but I don't know if there's much in there.
I found the delivery a little dry and I only made a couple of bookmarks - the section on "self-handicapping" was another twist on something we all know but don't realise.

Interesting, but nothing really that new here

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loved narrator & content. this book will make you reevaluate the behaviour of yourself and others, and hopefully make us all more considerate and understanding..

iĺluminating

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This is by far my favourite book.
I still feel as though I'm not so smart, but at least I'm being realistic.
I'll read and listen to this book again to really appreciate it and hopefully become less dumb!

I'm still not that smart

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Each chapter is a psychological misconception, followed by the truth and examples of it in real life from studies and experiences the author has had.

I’ve heard a few these studies already but there’s also a lot I hadn’t! Great book

Loved the structure

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a great book well performed definitely one I'll be listening too again. truly thought provoking

absolutely fantastic

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I love pop psychology. Having come from a Fundamentalist Evangelical background I get so much from this to explain what happened to me.

Great Insights

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An excellent entertaining and informative listen.
Delivered in a laid-back style that seems to really suit the material. Lots of fact mixed in with a dry sense of humour that worked well in keeping my interest throughout. While I've heard a lot of the content before, I've never heard it all in one place or with such a witty and entertaining presentation.
Well worth the listen.

Maybe a Little Smarter Now Than I Was Before

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I love Dan Hagens narration it reminds me of Lee Perry who narrated that 90s song 'Sunscreen'. Make of that what you will.

The book was a decent introduction into many psychological theories which I found very interesting. Several of these home truths would serve people well in these increasingly 'unprecedented times'.

Good insight into how dumb we all are

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