Name: You are not so smart
ISBN: 9781592407361

You are not so smart

An entertaining illumination of the stupid beliefs that make us feel wise, based on the popular blog of the same name. Whether you’re deciding which smartphone to purchase or which politician to believe, you think you are a rational being whose every decision is based on cool, detached logic. But here’s the truth: You are not so smart. You’re just as deluded as the rest of us—but that’s okay, because being deluded is part of being human. Growing out of David McRaney’s popular blog, You Are Not So Smart reveals that every decision we make, every thought we contemplate, and every emotion we feel comes with a story we tell ourselves to explain them. But often these stories aren’t true. Each short chapter—covering topics such as Learned Helplessness, Selling Out, and the Illusion of Transparency—is like a psychology course with all the boring parts taken out. Bringing together popular science and psychology with humor and wit, You Are Not So Smart is a celebration of our irrational, thoroughly human behavior.

What Hacker News says

jkmcfAug 2025

Schooling should require everyone to read "You Are Not So Smart".

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1592406599

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dirtybirdnjOct 2023

You are Not So Smart by David McRaney. It started a journey of self reflection and introspection that I'm still working on to this day but extremely thankful for. It changed the way I look at myself and the actions of other people, both for the better.

It all started for me when I heard about the three jesuses of ypselanti. I hope you enjoy it too.

https://youarenotsosmart.com/2014/01/07/yanss-podcast-015-i-...

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gmusleraApr 2020

The Black Swan and Antifragile, from Nassim Taleb. Made me doubt about how I can plan and predict the future, or for what it worths what I known.

The selfish gene from Richard Dawkins. And upside-down look at evolution. Sometimes totally different reasons explain better what seems obvious.

You are not so smart from David McRaney. An easy to read introduction to cognitive bias.

They are not mean to be accurate or the best on their kind, but they did caused some changes on me.

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jpalomakiJan 2015

"You are not so smart" by David McRane touches the same topic. It goes through the long list of ways we are fooling our selves or "not being as smart as we think we are". And for each case he is also referencing the studies proving this.

http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Not-So-Smart/dp/1592407366

He also has a blog with the same name as the book that covers the same topics (I believe the book came out of the blog): http://youarenotsosmart.com

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samweinbergDec 2013

It might be "You Are Not So Smart" by David McRaney.

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simonbarker87Feb 2013

If your not heavily into psychology but having a passing interest I can highly recommend the book "You are not so smart" http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1851689397/ref=as_li_qf_s... (aff link)

It is an excellent read and very eye opening

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