• You Are Now Less Dumb

  • How to Conquer Mob Mentality, How to Buy Happiness, and All the Other Ways to Outsmart Yourself
  • By: David McRaney
  • Narrated by: Don Hagen
  • Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,651 ratings)

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You Are Now Less Dumb  By  cover art

You Are Now Less Dumb

By: David McRaney
Narrated by: Don Hagen
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Publisher's summary

The author of the best-selling You Are Not So Smart shares more discoveries about self-delusion and irrational thinking, and gives readers a fighting chance at outsmarting their not-so-smart brains.

David McRaney's first book, You Are Not So Smart, evolved from his wildly popular blog of the same name. A mix of popular psychology and trivia, McRaney's insights have struck a chord with thousands, and his blog - and now podcasts and videos - have become an Internet phenomenon. Like You Are Not So Smart, You Are Now Less Dumb is grounded in the idea that we all believe ourselves to be objective observers of reality - except we're not. But that's okay, because our delusions keep us sane.

Expanding on this premise, McRaney provides eye-opening analyses of 15 more ways we fool ourselves every day. McRaney also reveals the true price of happiness, why Benjamin Franklin was such a badass, and how to avoid falling for our own lies. This smart and highly entertaining audiobook will be wowing listeners for years to come.

©2013 David McRaney (P)2013 Gildan Media LLC

What listeners say about You Are Now Less Dumb

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Leftist Libtards

The Topics are interesting but deeply flawed. A Social Experiment done in 1940 does not and would not
be the same as if it were done in 2018.

Other problems arise with a few topics - Religions are bad "Christianity"

It's okay to be a 50 year old man who abandoned his wife and 5 children so he could live his life pretending to be a
6 year old little girl ??? WTF -- I'm using this as a reference for the mindset of the So Called Author.

According to be BOOK - Who are We to question what is Normal ? and then the author goes off on a Very Long tangent
trying to convince the reader Anything You want to do is Perfectly Fine... Even if it Harms others.

Quote From the Book - "Your Children are Assholes"
And According to the so called author everyone should be honest about this and use it as a way to just tell
Anyone and Everyone - Exactly what is on your mind...
In other words - Forget Social norms, courtesy and being polite..
and Dare I say - Respect for others ?? according to the so called author the Answer is - NO - Just be a jerk and speak your mind.

As said before the topics are interesting but Most can easily be refuted using Logic and Common sense.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Far too cynical for my tastes

I’ve never actually listened to McRaney’s podcast before, so I really didn’t know what to expect here. Based on the title and cover, I kind of thought this one would offer a funny approach to hacking one’s psychology. As soon as I started it, I realized I was in for a very different kind of ride than that.

McRaney starts out by saying that though the book is mostly about self-delusion, it’s also a celebration of it. While he’s definitely right on the first statement, I’m not so sure about the second. Specifically, and to be honest, I really didn’t think this one was anything other than a well-written deep dive into cynicism and nihilism.

Though the research here is robust, and the psychological studies cited are legit and interesting, it’s the conclusions that really sink this one. Chapter after chapter, it seems like all McRaney has to say is that we’re just random bags of cells, that we have far less to be optimistic about than we think, and that almost everything we do, believe, and chase in life is just one big illusion.

It’s a real tough one for me, because, as I mentioned, the writing itself is actually pretty solid and well-backed by research. It almost gets you to a point of despair where you ask, “Okay, so it’s possible that what he’s saying is true. But, even then, why write about it? Why not just hold on to these so-called illusions and live happily?”

In a nutshell, that was my reaction during and after this one. And I’m sticking to it. I would not recommend it, and I am disappointed that McRaney couldn’t have, at the very least, added some humor or other form of positivity here. Proceed cautiously with this one.

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Nothing New Here

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

If you have never read/listened to earlier books involving the human mind and the way we trick ourselves (Michael Shermer comes to mind) then much of the information would seem new and intriguing. Unfortunately since I've read other books, this had literally no new information for me.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator's tone and approach simply did not match the content.

Any additional comments?

I expected a fresh take on some of the topics, however this was not the case. Even the examples provided were ones already presented in other books by other authors. While I know that the concepts will be similar since they are well-known and documented, I expected to get a different perspective. Instead it was a re-hash and left me wishing I had my credit back.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Love the author and narrator!

David McRaney has an excellent way of conveying complex information with hilarious dry wit. Between gut-busting jokes, he spell-binds the reader with insights into the human psyche. Don Hagen's delivery is perfect for this author. I hope they continue to combine for even more great listens.

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crap

struggled,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very much to get about half of the way through. Then I gave up. Not worth the money or time.

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Irreverent treatise of logical fallacies

What did you love best about You Are Now Less Dumb?

David McRaney has a fun and engaging writing style that will keep a smile on your face while you question your own world view. Don Hagen has a pleasant voice and a conversational style that wont wear you out during long listening sessions. Great stories coupled interesting descriptions of experiments that drive home the point the author is making. A very enjoyable listen.

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An insightful, even risky, look at psychology

This is a powerful and insightful look into human psychology. Like McRaney's previous work, it's directed at the reader in a way that challenges the ego. Because most of the book is spot on for the average reader, its almost like a cold reading at times.

But it can be a little annoying when the reader is a few standard deviations from the mean in an area under discussion, because, like, "You don't know me!"

It concludes on an optimistic note, which is a nice thought, but on the heels of tearing down the facade of self esteem, it seemed a little forced. So fair warning, this book could burst your self esteem bubble, and as you'll learn, this might actually be a bad thing.

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speech impediment!

the poor guy can't finish a sentence without a sharp whistle.. like the old creepy dude from family guy. Another thing whoever did the recording didn't do this guy a favor either the recording exaggerated this lisp😒.. you can feel the microphone was tailored to pick up mostly the sharp sound. 😐 I hope this can be rerecorded.. other than that whistle, the reader has a great tone and I hope instead of me getting a refund I just get a great recording.

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Knocked me down

What I enjoyed about this book was that it brought me back down to reality. I learned new things but it also reinforced the things I already knew.

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Not enough original material

this was a disappointment after his first work. it's explanation is much more overt forcing a conclusion I don't feel his research backs up. when he wants to draw the conclusion and there's not enough material I feel he is not above tortured logic as in the last chapter where he tries to summarize the book. still an original podcast and the original is a delight

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