Kidding Ourselves, Joseph T. Hallinan
Kidding Ourselves, Joseph T. Hallinan
List: $15.99 | Sale: $11.20
Club: $7.99

Kidding Ourselves
The Hidden Power of Self-Deception

Author: Joseph T. Hallinan

Narrator: Brian Hutchison

Unabridged: 5 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 05/20/2014


Synopsis

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Why We Make Mistakes, an illuminating exploration of human beings' astonishing ability to deceive themselves. To one degree or another, we all misjudge reality. Our perception-of ourselves and the world around us-is much more malleable than we realize. This self-deception influences every major aspect of our personal and social life, including relationships, sex, politics, careers, and health. In Kidding Ourselves, Joseph Hallinan offers a nuts-and-bolts look at how this penchant shapes our everyday lives, from the medicines we take to the decisions we make. It shows, for instance, just how much the power of many modern medicines, particularly anti-depressants and painkillers, is largely in our heads. Placebos in modern-day life extend beyond hospitals, to fake thermostats and "elevator close" buttons that don't really workbut give the perception that they do. Kidding Ourselves brings together a variety of subjects, linking seemingly unrelated ideas in fascinating and unexpected ways. And ultimately, it shows that deceiving ourselves is not always negative or foolish. As increasing numbers of researchers are discovering, it can be incredibly useful, providing us with the resilience we need to persevere, in the boardroom, bedroom, and beyond. Provocative, accessible, and easily applicable to multiple facets of everyday life, Kidding Ourselves is an extraordinary new exploration of our mind's flexibility.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Will on March 23, 2022

Realism has its limitationsDon’t I know. But after reading Joseph Hallinan’s Kidding Ourselves, you will find a way to get rid of those extra pounds; you will finally step up and demand that raise you have been denied for the last several years; you will ask out that person you have had your eye......more

Goodreads review by Ms.pegasus on October 16, 2016

Hallinan's trawling expedition into the sea of data on self-deception has netted a mind-boggling catch. A loose categorization permits some initial organization: the placebo effect, crowd contagion, demoralization syndrome, confirmation bias, pre-conditioning, ad hoc reasoning, optimism bias, and ma......more

Goodreads review by Rachel on November 05, 2020

This short book covers a lot of ground about its subject matter, which makes it shallow. It's not a bad introduction to some of the concepts. For me, there wasn't much new. And I could see possible errors in some of the conclusions the author (and in some cases the people who did the actual studies)......more

Goodreads review by Marta on May 18, 2014

**Received copy as part of goodreads firstreads giveaway** The best thing about this book is: It is an easy read that requires minimal attention. I would recommend this book to: People who really like to use creepy anecdotes about animal experiments, war crimes, and disease as conversation starters. Rea......more

Goodreads review by Darcia on May 24, 2014

We've all heard the saying "Perception is everything", and Hallinan sets out to show us that our perception is largely personal, biased, and oddly stubborn in the face of opposing facts. Kidding Ourselves is reader-friendly, pop science that looks at everything from how placebos work to why mass hyst......more