• The Self Illusion

  • Why There Is No "You" Inside Your Head
  • By: Bruce Hood
  • Narrated by: Bruce Hood
  • Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (189 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Self Illusion  By  cover art

The Self Illusion

By: Bruce Hood
Narrated by: Bruce Hood
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $16.67

Buy for $16.67

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The Self Illusion provides a fascinating examination of how the latest science shows that our individual concept of a self is in fact an illusion. Most of us believe that we possess a self - an internal individual who resides inside our bodies, making decisions, authoring actions and possessing free will. The feeling that a single, unified, enduring self inhabits the body is compelling and inescapable. But that sovereignty of the self is increasingly under threat from science as our understanding of the brain advances.

©2012 Bruce Hood (P)2012 W F Howes Ltd

Critic reviews

“Fascinating, timely and important ... Hood's presentation of the science behind our supersense is crystal clear and utterly engaging” ( New Scientist)
“Wonderful. Illuminating. Full of insight, beauty, and humor. Get to know thyself” (David Eagleman, author of Sum)
“Startling and engrossing” (Robin Ince)

What listeners say about The Self Illusion

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    108
  • 4 Stars
    44
  • 3 Stars
    27
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    105
  • 4 Stars
    35
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    93
  • 4 Stars
    38
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

I began this audiobook with high hopes. Here was a new book arguing for a radical and boldly counterintuitive thesis, namely that the very center of our conscious existence, our sense of self, is an illusion. If there ever was a claim worthy of a book-length defense, this would surely be it.

Sadly, however, the book fell far short of my expectations. In fact, the author spent very little time at all making the (probably very difficult) case for the "self illusion," and instead used this topic as a platform for talking about pretty much anything he seemed interested in, from how the internet is shaping our brains to the psychology of laughter. Basically, the book reads like a low-level tour of psychology, with topics only loosely (and sometimes not at all) connected to the topic of "the self," broadly construed. As a basic introduction to psychology for extremely lay audiences, it succeeds fairly well. As a cogent argument for the illusion of selfhood, it fails abysmally.

Worse still, even if you are looking for an introduction to psychology, I would not waste your credit on this, as most of the material covered has already been covered more thoroughly and more entertainingly in other works, like "Predictably Irrational," "How the Mind Works," "The Happiness Hypothesis," or "The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking."

And as if this weren't enough bad news for "The Self Illusion," Bruce Hood unfortunately succumbed to the "authors make better narrators" fallacy, and the book suffered greatly for it. Hood's voice is dull and plodding, adding very little life to the text, and his faint scottish accent was slightly distracting at times.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

65 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A solid rehash

This book is solidly written, but it falls into a category of books I am noticing which simply rehashes the same few dozen psychology studies. You get the marshmallow one, the Stanford prison one, the one about intermittent rewards, etc etc etc. I thought this book was going to be a real thunderbolt but it’s more or less average.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

provides exciting insite into the mind

What did you love best about The Self Illusion?

Bruce (also the author) has an excellent voice and keen perspectives.

Which character – as performed by Bruce Hood – was your favorite?

The brain

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was very exciting, listening to it

Any additional comments?

Good for anyone wanting psychology or neuroscience information.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-researched book, and loved the fact that Bruce narrated it himself. I found his arguments compelling throughout the whole book. Highly recommend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great read!

I really enjoyed this book. It is really interesting, the author's narrative style is easy to listen to, and afterwards I have a better understanding of my 'self' and others. Enjoyable!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

It’s ok to believe in illusions

What made the experience of listening to The Self Illusion the most enjoyable?

Hood is a great writer I highly recommend the ride into the exploration of the illusion of self. Even if you are well vs in the subject you will find Hood's treatment of the social aspects of self thought provoking, Hood even puts an interesting spin on gender biases, beyond testosterone and estrogen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Brain, it is after all your reality generator.

What about Bruce Hood’s performance did you like?

Sounds Great at 2x

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

No. Your bound to want to reflect. Even coming back to it in a few days is a good idea

Any additional comments?

You own it to yourself to listen to this book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Self Illusion to be better than the print version?

No idea (just read some interviews and book reviews not the book itself).

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Self Illusion?

High quality throughout.

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

Nope it has chapters of suitable lenghts.

Any additional comments?

Great book that cover a variety of topics, the writer is updated on the subjects and a good communicator. Never mind the other review concerning the accent, it is preferable in some (or most I will say) cases to listen to an author rather than an actor. If you are in to quite clever pop-sci this is one obvious pick to listen through.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

It???s ok to believe in illusions

What made the experience of listening to The Self Illusion the most enjoyable?

Hood is a great writer I highly recommend the ride into the exploration of the illusion of self. Even if you are well vs in the subject you will find Hood's treatment of the social aspects of self thought provoking, Hood even puts an interesting spin on gender biases, beyond testosterone and estrogen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Brain, it is after all your reality generator.

What about Bruce Hood???s performance did you like?

Sounds Great at 2x

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

No. Your bound to want to reflect. Even coming back to it in a few days is a good idea

Any additional comments?

You own it to yourself to listen to this book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This is probably one of the most important books one can read in their lifetime, I wish I knew earlier

Core ideas:
Your self identity is a composite of all your life experiences and retained concepts as well as your brains functional ability. How your 100 billion neurons build patterns and networks to simulate your memories and world views, produce the self..

Your free will is an illusion with decisions conducted by the same brain processes that likely gave you your sense of self. Your brain knows your decision, often well in advance before your conscious awareness does... which leads to evidence, that you are your brain and your awareness of choice, no matter how you describe that choice is another process to smooth the appearance of reality for easier navigation, survival and social acceptance

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

enjoyable subject

Great read. I don't really know who was doing the reading but this illusianary self was literate enough to thoroughly enjoy the insight. Nice new perspective given here by the author and well narrated. Thanks Bruce.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful