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

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

You really will be less dumb!

If you could sum up You Are Now Less Dumb in three words, what would they be?

Compelling. Eye-opening. Science-based.

What did you like best about this story?

It takes fairly complicated findings from neuroscience and cognitive science and evolution and puts a fun, simple spin on it without dumbing it down so people of all backgrounds can enjoy it.

Have you listened to any of Don Hagen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

stop being a sheep...become less dumb

Any additional comments?

I'm a neuroscientist and his facts and summations are scientifically accurate, but he doesn't make it heavy going. He explains things clearly and with a sense of humor!

I Feel Less Dumb!

This was pretty good. Sequel in the same line as "you are not so smart" which i read a year or so ago. This one went beyond the typical pysch 101 level, and I found it more interesting. All about the unconscious biases and coping mechanisms our brains use to get us through the day, dealing with topics from de-individuation (and crowd anonymity) to group dynamics, confidence and optimism... A lot about how we edit and adjust our memories and aspects of how we define ourselves and others in order to cope and keep our beliefs consistent. We all tend to think we are above average, and we are prone to ignorance of the states/beliefs of others.

It was very well presented and accessible. I like the idea that the author reveals your own mind's bag of tricks you may not have known you had, and mentions ways of sometimes getting around them. It's funny, just how many many of our own lies we fall for, but now I know a little bit more about it, and if I care to take that extra moment to consider things, I can take that into account and adjust my perspective, and improve my understanding of myself and others.

We are not as objective, perceptive, or smart as we think we are!

Good narration, no issues.

Will likely revisit when I need a little reality check or popular psychology fix.

Don't let the reader fool you.

What made the experience of listening to You Are Now Less Dumb the most enjoyable?

Initially, I found the reader's style robotic. Quickly, however, I realized his approach is well-suited to the content. He presents various scientific studies and data in a way that provides the listener with a clear understanding of the material.

What did you like best about this story?

The myths debunked in this book is supported by solid science.

What does Don Hagen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Humor.

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

I found myself saying "wow" a number of times.

Much like "You Are Not So Smart"

I enjoyed that book (in audio), and I enjoyed this one. I like a free-ranging walk through psychology and our cognitive biases and errors, dished up with an informal tone and flashes of humor. I thought the earlier book ("You Are Not So Smart") a little more zesty and funny, but I'm fine with this one. I hope the author sees fit to produce some more titles, if he has ideas worthy of it, and I hope it is narrated by my favorite again, Don Hagen. Don sounded a bit more subdued or somber this time out, but that's OK. I doubt I will repeat the listening, but I reserve that mostly for the very most challenging and stirring titles anyway.

Not a lot of guidance

The book describes in layman terms about fallacies and delusions that we fall into to maintain our beliefs. For example, the sunk cost fallacy - if we are watching a terrible movie, we are unlikely to walk out in the middle of it because we paid for it. We believe we should get our money out of it, even if it means wasting our time to watch a movie we're not enjoying. This book doesn't delve as much into the science of it as many brain books out there. And if you've read a few of those, you'll find the same information in this book except with more stories. This book doesn't provide much guidance on how to avoid these fallacies and delusions. For example, if you feel like having a cold beer, is it because it's a hot day or you just saw a beer commercial? Are you doing something you want to do or doing something that advertisers primed you to do?? The book is good for developing an awareness of these things and examining the decisions you make.

If you liked Your Not So Smart...

I enjoyed this book just as I enjoyed Your Not So Smart. This one is shorter, I think, with only 17 additional psychological bias's, self-delusions and logical fallacies that make us human. Another difference is, this book, unlike Your Not So Smart, comes from the angle of, instead of pretending these brain quirks don't exist or we can't do anything about them as they are simply the human condition, if we can recognize them, we may can possibly avoid the situations and environmental conditions that foster them.

Like I said. I enjoyed it, and if you liked Your Not So Smart, you'll probably like this one.

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.

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.

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.

Worth a credit? Yesssssssssss!

I saw this book at a book store in the airport and thought it might be worth the credit to listen. It was...somewhat.

There was allot of great content! The theory and research outlined behind each chapter and fallacy was very interesting and was easy to see how each applied to ones own surrounding, life. The problem was the performance! If you can get past the piercing 'S's, my gosh! The reader was almost unbearable at times while listening on headphones. Not sure if you'd get the same affect if you blue-toothed it in the car, but oh my!

This choice is worth the time and the 8 or so hours to get through it. There is some really, decent content. Try it! You may be Ssssssssssurprisssssssed!