The World's Best Book Summaries
Can science explain why people believe in fake news? Are we wired to believe false information? False information is all around us. Not only is it being produced, but it’s also being spread by people who believe it’s true. Science provides some interesting answers to why people believe in fake news. Basically, we’re simply wired to believe. Keep reading to learn why people believe in fake news.
How should a group function? Are there clear group guidelines that shape constructive behavior? Sociologist R.K. Merton created four rules of engagement for how he thought the scientific community should operate. Thinking in Bets author Annie Duke believes that these group guidelines also work well for a group of people whom you call on to help you make better decisions. Continue reading to learn about R.K. Merton’s recommended group guidelines.
Why do women tend to be less confident than men? Can the confidence gap between genders be explained by genetic differences between males and females? While there are no genetic differences between men and women—the confidence-related gene variants are evenly distributed between genders—the sexes do have physiological differences in their brains, think in different ways, and have different amounts of relevant hormones. Some of these differences may explain the confidence gap between men and women. Here is what neuroscience has to say about the confidence gap between men and women.
Is confidence genetic? And if so, how much do genes contribute to one’s sense of self-confidence? It’s scientifically accepted that the big five personality traits—agreeableness, neuroticism, conscientiousness, extroversion, and openness are responsible for around 50% of our personalities. Confidence and optimism are related to these traits, and scientists estimate that 25-50% of our confidence comes from our genes. Here is what science has to say about the role of genetics in confidence.
What are some things you feel confident about? What do you think gives you that confidence? Where does confidence stem from in general? According to Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, the authors of The Confidence Code, real confidence stems from mastery. You can only be truly confident about your ability to do something because you have the hard evidence for it—you’ve worked hard and pushed through the difficulties to master it. In this article, you’ll learn about the psychology of confidence: what confidence is, why it’s important, and how women seem predisposed to have less of it than men.
Is grace real? What is the evidence of grace? According to psychiatrist M. Scott Peck, the evidence of grace is resilience, synchronicity, the unconscious, and evolution. In The Road Less Traveled, Peck offers that, if we reflect on the evidence of grace, we become more open to receiving it. This is critical for spiritual growth. Keep reading to learn about the evidence of grace from Peck’s perspective.
Why does there seem to be tension between science and faith? Why are so many scientists atheists? In The Road Less Traveled, Dr. M. Scott Peck touches on the tension between science and faith. He shares two reasons why many scientists reject evidence of God, and he asserts that theists dismiss the legitimacy of science. Keep reading to learn Dr. M. Scott Peck’s view on the perceived discord between science and faith.
Are you a good judge of probability? Do you take into account probability when making decisions that involve an element of risk? According to former options trader Nassim Taleb, most people have a poor grasp of real-world probability, and as a result, they misunderstand the likelihood of rare events and consequently don’t plan for risk appropriately. In his book Fooled by Randomness, he cites three reasons for our difficulty in understanding how probability plays out in the real world: 1) we don’t properly interpret the past, 2) we can’t predict the future, and 3) we don’t insure against risk properly.
What is the Reproducibility Project? How does it illustrate decision-making under risk? We don’t always think in terms of risk, and maybe that’s why we’re prone to making irrational decisions. But what if we worked on keeping risk at the forefront of our minds? That’s what Thinking in Bets is all about. Author Annie Duke uses the Reproducibility Project as an example of decision-making under risk, showing how thinking in bets can produce more effective decisions. Keep reading to learn about decision-making under risk.
What are the biological causes of depression? Why does biology play an important role in our understanding of depression? The two primary biological causes of depression are genetics and neuroplasticity. People with the 5-HTT gene are vulnerable to depression, while neuroplasticity describes the changes that occur in your brain when depression is triggered by psychological and social factors. Biology helps explain depression that cannot be attributed to unfavorable environmental factors. Read more about the biological causes of depression.