Super Thinking

The Big Book of Mental Models

By: Gabriel Weinberg, Lauren McCann

Narrated by: René Ruiz

"You can't really know anything if you just remember isolated facts. If the facts don't hang together on a latticework of theory, you don't have them in a usable form.
You've got to have models in your head."
- Charlie Munger, investor, vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway

The world's greatest problem-solvers, forecasters, and decision-makers all rely on a set of frameworks and shortcuts that help them cut through complexity and separate good ideas from bad ones. They're called mental models, and you can find them in dense textbooks on psychology, physics, economics, and more.

Or, you can just read Super Thinking, a fun, illustrated guide to every mental model you could possibly need. How can mental models help you? Well, here are just a few examples...

* If you've ever been overwhelmed by a to-do list that's grown too long, maybe you need the Eisenhower Decision Matrix to help you prioritize.
* Use the 5 Whys model to better understand people's motivations or get to the root cause of a problem.
* Before concluding that your colleague who messes up your projects is out to sabotage you, consider Hanlon's Razor for an alternative explanation.
* Ever sat through a bad movie just because you paid a lot for the ticket? You might be falling prey to Sunk Cost Fallacy.
* Set up Forcing Functions, like standing meeting or deadlines, to help grease the wheels for changes you want to occur.

So, the next time you find yourself faced with a difficult decision or just trying to understand a complex situation, let Super Thinking upgrade your brain with mental models.

*Includes a PDF of charts, drawings, and cartoons illustrating the mental models of super thinking.

Critic reviews

“An intellectual playground that will have your brain doing mental reps and seeing the world differently."
–SHANE PARRISH, creator of the Farnam Street blog and host of The Knowledge Project podcast

“An invaluable resource for making sense of the world, making good decisions, and placing smart bets. A fast-paced and fun read, jam-packed with useful information on every page. I wish I’d had this book ages ago!”
–ANNIE DUKE, author of Thinking in Bets

"Internalizing these mental models will help you understand the world around you. Once you can spot them, you can change your own behavior to avoid common traps, adjust how you interact with people to get better results, and maybe even articulate new mental models of the world that have yet to be discovered."
–BRIAN ARMSTRONG, Cofounder & CEO of Coinbase

Great material with excellent flow

Mental Models are one of the most important areas to study for well-rounded knowledge. This (audio)book does a fantastic job informing the listener of a very large number of mental models. The flow of the story is quite impressive as the narrative covers so many mental models while still sounding quite natural. I have read or listened to every other current book on mental models and they all read rather awkwardly as they spout off model after model, not so with this book as it is a very informative story from beginning to end. I am enjoying listening to it several times over to make sure I am internalizing the models for everyday use.
The narrator I also must say does quite a good job and I found him a pleasure to listen to. I should also mention that while I enjoyed the audiobook, I found the print book to be a great compliment as there are many visual representations and it is easier to pick out all the different mental models with their bold type. Overall I say again, I recommend this book.

Super Thoughtful

Great overview of business thinking and lessons that became emerged as Trends, like having a circle of competence.

Overall good

This is really a “catch all” book of thinking and even business concepts. You can find a lot on other books, and some stuff is new (for me).

But the value is that you don’t have to read/listen to 12 other books, it’s all here. Worth it!

Plucked From My Brain

Writing a book of mental models for myself or others had been bouncing around in my head for the last two years in different forms. I read and learn so much it is hard to keep track of it all and there are so many of those things that have interdisciplinary applications. That is how I found this book, research.

Super Thinking did not disappoint. I knew in the first third of the book that it was a winner. Even if you have heard some of these models before it is nice to put them in context. Super Thinking does an excellent job of not belaboring mental models while also contextualizing them. The perfect balance for me was exemplified by the section summaries which concisely repeated and connected each model in that section.

Now the book is a product of the authors of course so it includes a hefty section on how to run a business and manage people and teams. That was not my thing but I could understand and appreciate its utility.

If I had to add models I would talk more about results oriented thinking, building relationships, and attachment as a lever to manage emotions but again that would be my perspective. The content of this book is crunchy as heck, full of brain food. I am usually a binge listener but I had to listen to this one in parts to fully digest all the great ideas before shoving more into my brain.

The best book on mental models I've ever read

This is the only book on mental models I've ever read, but I've learned so much that I think this would be very hard to beat. I'll read Shane Parrish's book next as well as the art of thinking clearly. and finally, I'll read Charlie munger's book on mental models as well.

This is the most notes I've ever taken on a book. metabolizing these. I truly feel like I have everything it takes to actualize. any idea or principle that I want to espouse in life. fantastic read.