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

By: David McRaney

Narrated by: Don Hagen

Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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)

Glad I'm Not Average Or Am I?

If you could sum up You Are Not So Smart in three words, what would they be?

This is one of those books that tells you who you are. Kind of annoying, but very interesting. All I can say is I hope I'm not the "average" person described in many of the studies.

Made Me Think!

What did you like about this audiobook?

A lot of fun tidbits to ruminate on!

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

Yes

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

Very easy and clever style.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Not a young and captivating as the subject matter.

I feel smarter now

Nice set of short segments offering insight for the open minded. I stopped many times and had no trouble coming back later.

Thinking at another's perspective

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes. It presented some interesting perspectives of how other's think and perceive.

Would you be willing to try another book from David McRaney? Why or why not?

No since this one did not capture my attention as much as I expected. I like a book to knock my socks off. This one did not albeit interesting it only unlaced my shoe.

What three words best describe Don Hagen’s voice?

Back alley patronizing

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

If it was marketed better

Any additional comments?

Some of us want to balance life by checking to see if we are deluding ourselves. This book tried to persuade me but I resisted. Interesting but somewhat tongue-in-cheek theories.

check your reality

Become more aware of your bias, fallacies and how you rewrite your own history. Very good listen.

Not for Driving!

Perhaps it's because I am not so smart, as the book kept reminding me, but this was a tough one to get thorough without my mind wandering away every few minutes. I have a long commute, so listen to audiobooks while driving, and this one...something about the tone and lulling cadence of the narrator's voice coupled with stat after stat from endless experiments...I had a hard time NOT wanting to sleep. While driving! Some of the chapters were interesting, some had interesting points but kept repeating the same thing constantly. So, I get it, I'm not smart. For someone deeply interested in psychology, human behavior, or related topics from a research PoV, this is a great listen. For someone who wants to learn but is just a layperson listener, it's dry and a bit of a snooze.

eye opening

a very in-depth look at how the mind works and very much an affirmation of your day to day struggle

Phenomenal! Informative! FUN!

The anecdotes are all familiar -- they've happened to me or I've seen them happen to others. Hearing a logical, scientific explanation was mind-opening. Now I want everyone I love (and many folks I just like a lot) to hear this book, too. I will definitely listen to it more than once.

Also, this book alerted me to the author's website and blog, where there are many more examples of where human thinking goes astray.

The author clearly loves his subject, and knows a lot about it. The writing was clear, direct, and very entertaining. The narrator did an excellent job, and was a good match for this book.

This book is an Eye-opener!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of You Are Not So Smart to be better than the print version?

I don't know, I don't have the print version

Which scene was your favorite?

The Just life Fallacy.... you'll know why when you listen to the book

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

I am not so smart

Any additional comments?

The title may be misleading, this book is a must have!!!so far my best Audio-book

Mind-bending...wonderful book!

Really enjoyed this...learned SO much about myself and everyone else. Everyone should listen to this one. Excellent narration.