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

Written by:
David McRaney
Narrated by:
Don Hagen

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
80
Narrator
20
Release Date
December 2011
Duration
8 hours 30 minutes
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.
Reviews
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Maxime F.

This book is way better than i thought it would be! Also Love the Narrator.

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Brian Garramone

One of the most informative and entertaining books I've read in 2016.

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Kurt S

I enjoyed it. I will like it even better during my 2nd listen to next week.

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Anonymous

Good bits... it held my attention. Not the best read but it has some good points.

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Amy H.

This book deserves 5 stars notwithstanding the irony - sometimes the author could not see his own biases. This was most notable whenever any content approached the topic of the supernatural. Sometimes, I laughed out loud at the blatancy of his personal blind spots (particularly given the title and topic of the book). More than once I chucked aloud, “maybe YOU are not so smart.” Anyway, if you agree with his position on these matters, you probably won’t even notice. But if you don’t agree, be warned, he is not always entirely fair or objective on matters of faith or exploration of the unknown. Even so, read the book. It is exceedingly interesting, informative - even humorous! Again, five stars.

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Alyssa P.

Give it a shot. I enjoyed the narrator.

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Joseph L.

The book is very informative. It's too bad that he chose to put the whole thing in the accusatory 2nd person, but still good. Narrator tries his extreme best to make it boring by droning and never changing pitch, but it was still palatable.

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DUDA

Thoroughly entertaining and really it's a smart book. Reccomend!

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Aurora R.

Jeg lærte utrolig mye av denne boka, og innleseren var kjempeflink

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