The Book
Get it here:
“Every chapter is a welcome reminder that you are not so smart — yet you’re never made to feel dumb. You Are Not So Smart is a dose of psychology research served in tasty anecdotes that will make you better understand both yourself and the rest of us. You’ll find new perspectives on your relationships with people you know, people you don’t, and even brands. It turns out we’re much more irrational than most of us think, so give yourself every advantage you can and read this book.” – Alexis Ohanian, Co-Founder of Reddit.com
You Are Not So Smart is a book about all the wonderful ways you delude yourself everyday.
The book isn’t just a hard copy of the blog. There are plenty of new topics and lots of exclusive-to-the-book content.
“You Are Not So Smart is positively one of the smartest books to come by this year — no illusion there.” – Maria Popova of Brain Pickings
You could use a healthy dose of humility, and inside this book you’ll find new entries on topics like priming, expectation, confabulation, apophenia, normalcy bias, the fundamental attribution error, and many more along with expanded chapters on topics from the blog.
“McRaney’s sweeping overview is like taking a Psych 101 class with a witty professor and zero homework.” – Psychology Today
With each new subject you will start to see how unaware of how unaware you are. You will soon realize you are not so smart, and thanks to a plethora of cognitive biases, faulty heuristics and common fallacies, you are probably deluding yourself minute by minute just to cope with reality. That’s ok though. We’re all in this together, and these are our shared mental stumbling blocks.
“Deflating to a certain audience that wants to believe in exceptions, You Are Not So Smart is a tonic to the noxious sweetness of overachievement, an acknowledgment of ordinariness that glories in the quirks of being human without forcing them into a triumphant pyramid. That which cannot be overcome is a part as vital to the human experience as that impulse to try even harder to overcome nature. And if that fails, the flip side to a population crediting itself with falsely inflated powers of observation is that no one might notice if you, too, are not so smart.” - The Onion A.V. Club
Trackbacks
- The Backfire Effect « 9/11 Truth Awakening
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- You Are Not So Smart | David McRaney
Hello!
First of all congratulations for the book! Your blog is very interesting and helpful so I’m looking forward to get more interesting perspectives from your book.
I would like to ask though why is the Kindle edition on Amazon more expensive than the hardcover? There is no paper and no transport involved, so it should be cheaper…
All the best,
Mihaela
$10.99 for the Kindle version
$15.21 Hardcover
Hi,
Will there be new content in the book or does it some-up the blog?
Thanks, from Israel.
There will be lots of new topics in the book, each with their own chapters. They asked me to put some of my more popular posts in the book too, but I made sure I went through and expanded them with new studies and information not on the blog.
I have to echo ivygrl’s request — will there be a PDF/iPad edition of this book?
I don’t know the specifics of the e-versions yet. There will definitely be a Kindle and Nook version.
Hi,
I discovered your book through an article I found on zite, an ipad app I use. I love your site and would love to download your book. Sadly Kindle and itunes will not allow me to do this as I am in Australia. Will there be a downloadable version available internationally soon? If so, any idea of a date?
Thanks
Get yourself a vpn, son.
Hi.
Why should I be encouraged to buy books illegally? I want to buy this book, and I want to buy it through the correct channels. Enough time has passed now for the international issues to have been resolved.
BTW, irondoor, the last time I did this to buy a book from Amazon, they noticed that my credit card was registered in a different region to that of the purchase IP address location and Amazon account. I received a nice warning email, and threats to close my account.
Please let my buy your book, David.
Best regards
Love your blog…The posts reminds me of the book “Why People Believe in Weird Things”
Can’t wait to buy the Kindle edition!
Awesome. Thanks.
Hello David,
First of all, congratulations for the book. I like your blog and I keep revisiting it every once in a while to check out resources and links in some astonishing posts of yours. You’re doing a really good work.
I have few questions to ask… First, will the book contain all of the posts on this blog?
Second, will it be only related to the topics of this blog or will it talk about more (i.e. Informal Logic Fallacies, recent researches on Cognitive Biases, the Psychology of Self-Deception?
Thanks and good luck.
The book will be formatted just like the blog, with each delusion/topic as its own chapter. It will contain many of the more popular posts as expanded chapters, but not every one. Coffee, for example, isn’t in there. In addition, I’ve written many new chapters on topics not covered here. I tried to stick to fallacies, biases and heuristics.
Can you provide a link to the Kindle version on Amazon… i can’t find it.
Why isnt there a live countdown?
Love from India.
No thanks. I would get totally depressed i found out how freaking stupid I really am ;)
*if I found out
:)
Just recently found this site and have read every article and eagerly await the book.
Brilliant! Thanks or sharing.. I dont really buy physical books but I think the contrast of taking what was found as digital then reading it in a collected traditional way has a certain attraction that I may not be able to resist!
looking forward to reading the book. Do you know if it will be available through Google Books?
I love your blog and have read and shared every article. I will buy the book to support it!
Thanks for all the great insights!
hey…what happened with the super gorgeous book trailer?
It is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ2T4-rUUcs
I’ve just ordered four; one for me three for present :)
Just a quick question; which software is used to prepare the book trailer presentation?
Stumbleupon has brought me to your articles a few times now and I’ve always continued on feeling not so smart, but smarter at the same time. (How does that work?) I have found we both have very similiar ideas, though I have far less talent in putting stiching them together so awesomely as to actually make much sense. I’ve preordered the book and looked forward to be blown away! Congrats on the book and I hope that it will find its way into everyone’s hands.
Sorta posting this in all the wrong places…
iBookstore version in Aus? Will buy as soon as it hits.
This is the first time I have come across this website. I must say, I am delightfully impressed. Because of the first promotional video for the book, I am sold. I am sitting here in the library, at a university and should be studying for my exam in two days, but I am not. I am procrastinating. I will be buying your book and I thank you.
All the best,
Eddy
I really do not know how I ended up coming here ;-)
I was – I say – I am still very impressed with your blog and I loved the trailer for the book. Do you plan to translate it in other languages? Brazillian Portuguese is my request. Thanks and good luck.
Can I pre-order kindle ebook of this? I don’t see it on Amazon yet.
You can in the U.S., but it will take a little longer to appear in other countries.
I am an enormous fan of your site.
Just need to comment that the video was well done but the “why you have too many friends on facebook” thing on your front cover makes it look cheap and gimmicky.
Will this book be out as an Audiobook?
Yes. Not sure when though.
Hi!
I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoy your articles, (which I found via Stumbleupon) and I have never found a blog (personally) worth following, until now; so you are my first! I am ecstatic about the book, and it just so happens the book comes out today, so I am going to run out and get it today. Thank you for your articles and for the enlightenment and humor you provide! Awesome work.
Lori
Thank you so much!
Are there plans to publish it on Kobobooks.com as well? Being a fan of the blog I really look forward reading the book :)
Not yet, but maybe.
Just finished reading your interview with The Globe and Mail, and will definitely buy the book.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/conditions/brain-health/you-probably-think-you-know-all-about-self-delusion/article2216351/singlepage/#articlecontent
I just picked up the Kobo version. Can’t wait to put off reading this!
Who designed the book cover? It’s not very well designed, which kind of makes me sad because I love this blog.
can’t wait for the audio book!!!
I have an IQ of 150 and an excellent emotional intelligence. Should I read this?
Congratulations on the book, the trailer looks amazing! You have a customer from me.
Great blog, I’m sure the book is awesome as well. I will have to buy it and read it for sure.
Hi i want to make money from the word press
I am so happy I found your blog and can’t wait to read the book. The concept of our internal delusions is something most of us are inherently aware of on at least a subconscious level, but there’s something mystical about it being so transparently presented. Bravo for being that kind of refreshing presenter, we can’t help but listen to.
Looking forward to more revelations of how we can’t help but operate in this crazy world….
M :)
Fortunately I was raised by a very smart woman. As with most things like this I fear that the people who ‘most need’ this book won’t read it as they don’t read at all!
The book sounds pretty interesting David, I will like to get around to reading it soon as I pry myself away from reading the blogs! Love the voice on the trailer(“-”)
When this goes on “3 for 2″ in Waterstones the sticker will cover the “Not” part, giving it a title appealing to a different customer base. Then i’ll buy it.
Is the voice who it reminded me of… Sam Elliot?
Hi, I’m from Italy. I really enjoy your blog and I’d like to give away your book for Christmas. Do you know if some publisher is translating it into Italian?
The book sounds pretty interesting David, I will like to get around to reading it soon as I pry myself away from reading the blogs! Love the voice on the trailer(“-”)
Your page is not so smart – the Books-A-Million link gives a 403-Forbidden error message.
It’s perfect time to make a few plans for the long run and it is time to be happy. I’ve learn this publish and if I may just I wish to counsel you few attention-grabbing things or suggestions. Perhaps you can write next articles referring to this article. I want to learn even more issues approximately it!
what is love all about
After watching this Video on Procrastination something finally went ping in my head and i decided to quit smoking. This is something i have been putting off for ages and ages it actually made so much sense listening to this guy. Thank you very much 6 days in and going strong cheers bud thank you very much.
I really loved your book. I have learned not to take myself so seriously (after all no one else does) Thanks for the insight. I was disturbed however reading about innocent animals being shocked in experiments just to prove that we are not so smart.
Hello, David! I like your blog. I’ve got a question, you have already said that not all topics on the blog have been included in the book, but still some of the old topics (I didn’t find them on the content list of the book) were removed from the blog (like the Spotlight Effect, Kissing, The Dunning-Kruger Effect, I guess…), so, they are unavailable at all anymore?:-(
Thank you, Inna.
Dear David,
I haven’t read your book yet, but my contribution would be: We are all stupified by what we know and believe because all knowledge and beliefs are constructs of the mind, whereas the quiet mind; the meditative mind, has the ability to experience different dimensions. If we overvalue knowledge then we miss the oportunity to experience spontanious forms of knowing. My philosophical theory is: There is a universal consciousness that is primary, but conscious thinking is secondary and mechanistic. Have given lectures at several Australian Universities, much interest, but concepts not understood. Stephen Hawkins was right. “Philosophers are living in the past by being busy interpreting what others have said years ago”. For example, Socrates ” I know that I know nothing”. How many people really understand what he meant?
By the way, I’m 84 and looking forward to becoming a recluse.
Best wishes,
Dennis
saw the video and thought , “wow this is ME he is talking about ! Has he been stalking me?”
It’s like you know me better than my friends! I think you can really help me and others to live a better life.
Please translate this book in Greek…. My english is not that good to fully understand it.
Thanks
Will it be translated to spanish?
Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this board and I to find It really useful & it helped me out a lot. I am hoping to give one thing again and help others like you helped me.