Review: 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
By EricMesa
- 2 minutes read - 258 words
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 by David McRaney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a great book that I think would have blown my mind if I hadn’t already been listening to Mr McRaney’s podcast for the past few years. However, if you’re in to amateur psychology and understanding all the ways that your brain is getting in the way of your life, this is a great book. It’s also great for understanding the world. There’s a chapter that explains why people end up with Realistic looking Sex Dolls (those creepy Japanese ones you’ve probably seen) or super old men. Another chapter explains why we always have issues telling if someone is flirting with us or just being nice. Overall it’s a fun read - David used to be a journalist so he has a conversational style that works well.
Nitpick: 2 of the examples he uses Kitty Genovese and the Student Guard/Prisoner study have been proven false and/or called into question. There is a chapter in there that would tell you that this doesn’t mean you should discount everything. Just because something someone says is wrong doesn’t mean everything they say is wrong. In other words, sometimes you find yourself agreeing with the President even if you think he’s a bumbling buffoon. (Whether it’s this one or the previous one or any president who doesn’t match your party and/or beliefs)