Overview
Our brains are marvels, hard-wired by millions of years of evolution to boast a number of mental shortcuts, biases, and tricks that allow us to negotiate our complicated lives without overthinking every choice and decision we have to make. Unfortunately, those ancient shortcuts don't always work to our advantage in our modern lives--when we don't also think slowly and rationally, those hard-wired habits can trip us up. This intriguing book helps us to understand how our minds are predisposed to think about the world--and how to avoid many of life's common mistakes. Among the surprising examples of these mental habits at work in our lives: --Experienced skiers make fatal mistakes on familiar terrain more often than less experienced ones. --Ninety-nine point nine percent of the citizens of France are registered organ donors, but only 28 percent of Americans are. --Early birds on jury duty are more likely to succumb to racial stereotypes in delivering verdicts when the day gets late. --People who are hungry for lunch will donate less money to charity. Wray Herbert introduces us to twenty of these shortcuts and biases, explaining how they affect us in the real world and how they're being studied in labs around the world.
Full Product Details
Author: Wray Herbert ,
Dan John Miller
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Imprint: Tantor Audio
ISBN: 9798200104802
Publication Date: 14 September 2010
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Audio
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
"Miller's calm and deliberate narration is enjoyable but also rivets attention and inspires thoughtfulness and curiosity.-- ""AudioFile"" ""Brings a twist [to the psychology shelf]...could keep us from making mistakes whose consequences range from dying in an avalanche to failing to follow directions because we don't like the font they're written in."" -- ""Newsweek"" ""Counters the argument set forth in titles like Malcom Gladwell's Blink...successfully shows readers how ancient shortcuts can impact our modern living and how to use this knowledge to make better decisions."" -- ""Library Journal"" ""Eminently ""Gladwellian""...Herbert clearly shows the effects of various daily mental maneuvers and peppers the text with explanations of how the human mind has evolved."" -- ""Washington Post"""
Author Information
Wray Herbert, who has been writing about psychology and human behavior for more than twenty-five years, currently writes two regular columns for Newsweek and Scientific American Mind. Wray serves as senior director for science communication for the Association for Psychological Science, where he writes a popular blog about new psychological research. He has also been assistant managing editor at U.S. News & World Report, editor in chief of Psychology Today, and behavioral science editor of the weekly magazine Science News. His writing has also appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and other national publications. Dan John Miller is an American musician and actor. He has appeared on film in Walk the Line, Mr. Woodcock, and Leatherheads, and is an acclaimed audiobook narrator. He was named Best Voice by AudioFile magazine, nominated twice for the Audies, and awarded a Golden Earphones award as well as a Listen Up! award from Publishers Weekly.
