Overview
Although reason and rationality are our friends in almost all contexts, in some cases people are better off putting reason aside. In a number of very important situations, we benefit by not seeing the world as it is, and by not behaving like logic-driven machines. The Uses of Delusion is about aspects of human nature that are not altogether rational but, nonetheless, help us achieve our social and personal goals. Psychologist Stuart Vyse presents a lively, accessible exploration of the psychological concepts behind useful delusions, fleshing out how delusional thinking may play a role in love and relationships, illness and loss, and personality and behavior. Along the way Vyse draws on the work of William James, Daniel Kahneman, and Joan Didion--who wrote about her compelling belief that her husband, though deceased, would soon return to her. Throughout, Vyse strives to answer the question: why would some of our most illogical beliefs be as helpful as they are? The concluding chapter offers an explanation grounded in natural selection--the ability to fool ourselves, Vyse argues, has actually helped us to survive. In the last section of The Uses of Delusion, Vyse offers suggestions for determining when reason should rule and when intuition and emotion should be allowed to take over.
Full Product Details
Author: Stuart Vyse ,
Joel Richards
Publisher: Ascent Audio
Imprint: Ascent Audio
Edition: Library Edition
ISBN: 9798212177641
Publication Date: 02 May 2022
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Audio
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Author Information
Stuart Vyse is a behavioral scientist, teacher, and writer. He holds PhD and MA degrees in psychology and BA and MA degrees in English literature. He taught at Providence College, the University of Rhode Island, and Connecticut College, where he was Joanne Toor Cummings '50 Professor. Vyse's book Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition won the 1999 William James Book Award of the American Psychological Association. His book Going Broke: Why Americans (Still) Can't Hold on to Their Money is an analysis of the current epidemic of personal debt. He is a contributing editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine where he writes the Behavior & Belief column, and he is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Joel Richards was the kid who did crazy things just to have a good story to tell afterward. On deciding to make his affection his profession, he received a BFA in acting and a BA in English from the University of Utah, and later an MA in oral storytelling from East Tennessee State University. He has narrated over 150 audiobooks (fiction and nonfiction) and continues to tell his original stories to live audiences.
