Do you sometimes feel like it’s you against the world—that you’re more complex, intelligent, and capable than most people? In You Are Not So Smart, David McRaney explains that most people hold these beliefs due to lies our brains tell us. He argues that we overestimate our abilities, logic, and importance, and that these thought errors cause us to miss out on opportunities and make poor decisions. However, by being aware of them, you can overcome them and improve your judgment.
McRaney is a science journalist who focuses on psychology and culture. He started writing You Are Not So Smart [as a...
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The first truth McRaney shares is that most of the time, the reasons and meanings we ascribe to actions, events, and feelings aren’t real—we make them up to avoid ambiguity and the unknown. This can cause you to make faulty judgments and decisions and undermine your critical thinking skills. In the following sections, we’ll explore three common thought errors associated with this phenomenon so you can recognize when you’re making up meaning and use facts to make more rational judgments and decisions instead.
First, McRaney explains we commonly interpret random events by choosing to believe there’s a deeper meaning behind them—we attribute them to fate. This can be seen in psychological phenomena like the Texas sharpshooter fallacy, where we prefer to see events as meaningful instead of random—for example, if it rains on your wedding day, you might interpret it as a sign you and your partner will be together forever. It can also be seen in apophenia, where we prefer to see events as miraculous rather than coincidental. For example, you miss your plane but meet a new friend while you’re waiting for the next one—you might...
The second truth McRaney shares is that our brains aren’t as reliable as we think they are. We often rely on our brains’ automatic processes to keep us safe and help us make good decisions. However, McRaney explains that automatic responses like running from danger and our ability to accurately perceive and remember reality aren’t all that dependable—our biases and faulty thought processes often get in the way. Let’s explore the unreliability of the brain further.
First, McRaney explains that our brains aren’t as reliable as we think because our drive to rationalize situations often undermines our ability to appropriately identify and react to danger—we doubt the severity of threats and underreact in dangerous situations. This psychological phenomenon, called the normalcy bias, occurs for two reasons. First, we act based on our experience living in a fairly safe world—when danger arises, we underreact because our past experiences tell us the threat probably isn’t real. Second, when a threat presents itself, we want everything to go back to normal, so we pretend it’s normal to soothe ourselves. According to McRaney, this...
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The third truth McRaney uncovers is that we aren’t as honorable as we believe ourselves to be—especially under the pressure and influence of others. In the following sections, we’ll discuss how this truth plays out in human behavior.
McRaney explains that despite wanting to do good, we’re less motivated to do so when we’re around others. This can be seen in psychological phenomena like the bystander effect, where the more people are involved in the situation, the less motivated we are to act, and social loafing, where the more people are involved in a task, the more we slack off. These phenomena occur for two reasons: First, the more people there are in a setting, the more we lose personal accountability and rely on others to act. Second, we’re shy—we don’t want to act in front of the group and garner attention.
For example, if 10 people are working together to clean a space, you likely won’t work as fast or as hard because you know there are others to pick up the slack. Likewise, if there’s a tree branch on the road and there’s a line of cars behind you, you’re unlikely to get out and...
The fourth truth McRaney shares is that our brains tend to overestimate our competence and importance while underestimating and oversimplifying others’. In other words, we think we’re better at things than we are, place ourselves at the center of situations that aren't about us, and see ourselves as complex and nuanced individuals while denying others these considerations. In the following sections, we’ll discuss how related thought errors play out in real life.
McRaney explains that we tend to think that our judgments are always rational and based on logic and that we’ll change our minds when new evidence presents itself; however, we tend to form beliefs without much critical thought and cling to those beliefs without ever questioning their validity. This can be seen in psychological phenomena like confirmation bias, where we seek out and interpret new information to support our beliefs, and brand loyalty, where we remain loyal to certain brands out of familiarity rather than practicality.
For example, you notice the commercial saying your preferred brand has the cleanest water, but ignore the...
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While we likely all experience the thought errors McRaney discusses to some extent, some may be more impactful on your life than others. In this exercise, we’ll identify and make a plan to overcome the faulty thinking that’s the biggest obstacle to your success.
Which of the four truths McRaney discusses do you encounter most often in your life? For example, do you often try to explain phenomena in your life (Truth #1)? Do you struggle to react appropriately, remember correctly, or agree with others on the state of events (Truth #2)? Do you often fail to meet your moral standards or fail to express your true thoughts (Truth #3)? Do you often doubt others or overestimate yourself (Truth #4)?