Why we make mistakes
We forget our passwords. We pay too much to go to the gym. We think we'd be happier if we lived in California (we wouldn't), and we think we should stick with our first answer on tests (we shouldn't). Why do we make mistakes? And could we do a little better?We human beings have design flaws. Our eyes play tricks on us, our stories change in the retelling, and most of us are fairly sure we're way above average. In Why We Make Mistakes, journalist Joseph T. Hallinan sets out to explore the captivating science of human error--how we think, see, remember, and forget, and how this sets us up for wholly irresistible mistakes.In his quest to understand our imperfections, Hallinan delves into psychology, neuroscience, and economics, with forays into aviation, consumer behavior, geography, football, stock picking, and more. He discovers that some of the same qualities that make us efficient also make us error prone. We learn to move rapidly through the world, quickly recognizing patterns--but overlooking details. Which is why thirteen-year-old boys discover errors that NASA scientists miss--and why you can't find the beer in your refrigerator. Why We Make Mistakes is enlivened by real-life stories--of weathermen whose predictions are uncannily accurate and a witness who sent an innocent man to jail--and offers valuable advice, such as how to remember where you've hidden something important.
Stats for nerds
3recommend
5mentions
5people
2009–2023years
60% recommend40% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Don Norman's "The Design Of Everyday Things" was very eye-opening for me. It introduced me to a lot of ideas about the human brain, and about how/why we make mistakes.
This will sound stupid, but that book was the first time I encountered the idea that a brain can just straight up miscalculate and make a mistake. No reason, no explanation. Just your thinking meat did the wrong thing.
Really great book. Very entertaining, and a pretty quick read. I'd recommend it to anybody.
https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Revised-Expand...
- I've never met a person that didn't have some level of bullshit going on. We all do it, so by extensions all our group efforts end up doing it. The book "why we make mistakes" has a good explanation based on how our mind works why it's part of the human experience to peddle a load of crock.
- "The probability that a certain person be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person."
This is assuredly true, on the basis of replicated research, with regard to IQ. There is essentially no correlation between IQ and rationality.
http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/stanovich1/Engli...
High-IQ people can be every bit as irrational ("stupid" in the language of the submitted article) as low-IQ people, and worse still, not notice that they are being stupid. There are whole books on the subject.
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Smart-People-Can-Stupid/dp/0300101...
http://www.amazon.com/Blunder-Smart-People-Make-Decisions/dp...
http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Make-Mistakes-Without/dp/076792...
http://www.amazon.com/Sway-Irresistible-Pull-Irrational-Beha...
http://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Revised-Expande...
All we can do about that here on HN is take other people's comments seriously and try to see ourselves as others see us as we ponder our decisions.
- Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average
- The best way is to have no fear. Do your best to treat people right and build something with a vision of the future. Figure out what is impossible and do that. People may not want it right away, but concentrate on building something they not only want, but are willing to pay for.
Subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Financial times. Read as much of them as you can.
As far as books go, I recently put together a business reading list, here are some that you may find interesting:
The E-Myth revisited (note: this is e as in entrepreneur, not e-commerce, basically it's about building a franchise and enabling yourself to focus "on the business," that is, making it better, advertising, managing, rather than "in the business" which for programmers would be programming...)
Built to last : successful habits of visionary companies (note: some of them have failed)
Confronting reality : doing what matters to get things right (haven't started reading this one yet, funny huh)
An empire of wealth : the epic history of American economic power (haven't started)
Good to great : why some companies make the leap--and others don't (some weren't so great)
An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations, by Smith, Adam, 1723-1790. (goodness, this is 300 years old and still dead on and an easy read)
Microtrends : the small forces behind tomorrow's big changes (haven't started reading yet)
Negotiate like the pros : a top sports negotiator's lessons for making deals, building relationships, and getting what you want (good book, especially if you know anything about sports, which I don't, but still enjoy reading)
Who : the A method for hiring (This is a good one for helping to find talented people to join your team, short easy read)
Why we make mistakes : how we look without seeing, forget things in seconds, and are all pretty sure we are way above average (haven't started reading yet)
