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)

not for me

it was boring and unrelevant and I didn't feel that things are together.

things not intact

I didn't know I was this not smart

Beauty in its finest form. Not only is the book well written but the narrator was superb. The ideas in this book were presented in a manner that truely kept me focused and excited at both my and people's ignorance of what each of us think of ourselves and of each other. I think human interaction will become less stressful if people read, comprehend and act upon the ideas of this book.

Perfect for anyone who thinks they are smart

Facts about humans and the delusions we all believe . We create narratives too explain our lives .

Great book but read at 1.5x speed

Super informative and full of examples that make it much clearer than googling. Unfortunately the reader is extremely slow but if you read it at 1.5x sleep it’s bearable.

under rated tell all on human perception

I have listened to his podcasts over the years multiple times laughing at how we are programed and why this makes us vulnerable to perception and exploitation. Assumed I would be let down because of my familiarity with his work but alas, it's fantastic. people are missing out however, it is not for everyone but for the over analyzing folks out there, ye are in for a treat!

Engaging, humorous yet eye opening

It is my 3rd time listening to the book and it just gets better and better. It’s cool to be able to recognize the behavior on tv or in public and then apply the psychological diagnosis.

Funny and factual

I'm giving this book to friends interested in psychology and the human condition. Sound research presented in a narrative style that is easily understood, humorous and not weighed down by over reliance on statistics. Makes it much easier to accept our inevitable foibles.

Entertaining but scary!

Some of the material I had heard before, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of this informative book. It was a very entertaining read with quite a bit of humor. I came away from it throwing my hands up and realizing that all my opinions, likes, and beliefs are pure bunk! I truly must be an idiot, yes indeed. Lots of food for thought here.
Don Hagen did a very nice narration.
All in all, a highly recommended read!

Enlightening, entertaining, easy listening

The only bad reviews that I have read about this book are from expert psychologists, who say that its author discusses nothing original but instead rehashes other researcher's ideas.

But so what? I enjoy the audio book, anyway. It is easy listening that entertains while providing an overview of cognitive psychology. It sustained my interest for enough hours that I got my money's worth.

Overview of several psychological effects

I enjoyed listening to this book. It was fun hearing about the many ways our memories fail us and the studies that support these findings. There were 40+ different psychological effects. Each started with a misconception about how we perceive our memories and the world, followed by the reality. Then the author went into detail about the scientific studies and findings. I liked this format of organization, although in some examples I was hoping for more detail.

One small organizational suggestion would be to group similar effects into categories. I'm having a hard time recalling all 40+ effects, although I can recall the general scope of the book. I think categories would have made the information easier to record and recall.

Overall, it was a fun listen! The narrator sounded familiar even though I don't think I've listened to him before. It was well done.