Book Review: You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney

I just finished reading You Are Not So Smart, a book examining a multitude of ways in which we are deluding ourselves.  The book argues that every decision we make, every emotion we feel, is wrapped around a story we tell ourselves to explain them, but often times these stories aren't true.  By pointing out numerous ways in which we fool ourselves, You Are Not So Smart promotes the idea that while we think we are rational beings whose every decision is based on logic, our emotions and psyche cause us to make choices that follow no rational logic whatsoever.


Here are a few gems I took away from the book:

Apophenia: defined as the experience of seeing patterns or connections in random or meaningless data. McRaney argues that while we think some coincidences are so miraculous they must have meaning, they are really in fact random events and any meaning applied to them comes from your mind.  He adds that apophenia is "the result of the most dependable of all delusions--the confirmation bias."

Brand Loyalty is the result of a need to rationalize past choices to protect your sense of self.  The author illustrates "it's the choosing of one thing over another that leads to narratives about why you did it, which usually tie into your self-image."  So while we become proud fanboys over certain products in our life, when we engage with others to tell them why our product choice is superior, our intent is not to change their mind, but rather to prop up our own.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to better understand themselves and others.  It's 48 ways in which we delude ourselves, shortly summarized in one to five pages each.  Go check it out.