Are You Thinking Clearly

'An endlessly fascinating tour of the many different factors influencing our decision-making and reasoning' David Robson, author of The Expectation Effect 'An eye-opening and engaging richness of information that gives us a detailed insight into the strengths and weaknesses of human behaviour' Melissa Hogenboom, author of The Motherhood Complex Do emotions really cloud your thinking? Are habits holding you back? Is AI manipulating your mind? Does IQ help you think better? Every one of our thoughts, actions, moods and decisions is shaped by a whole array of factors, most of which we don't pay any attention to. From culture, time and language to genetics, technology and the microorganisms living inside us - even our own unconscious routines and habits - it's clear that we aren't always in the driving seat. The good news is that by better understanding the external and internal forces at work, we can minimise their impact on our lives. Drawing on rigorous interdisciplinary research, leading science journalists Miriam Frankel and Matt Warren bring us extraordinary stories and studies that open our eyes to the inner workings of the mind, challenge our thought processes and improve our decision-making. Most of all, Are You Thinking Clearly? is a rallying cry to know yourself, think broadly, think boldly - and to listen. 'Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand why their beliefs, mistakes, emotions and intuitions are the way they are' Richard Gray, BBC Future

Every one of our thoughts, actions, moods and decisions is shaped by a whole array of factors, most of which we don't pay any attention to. From culture, time and language to genetics, technology and the microorganisms living inside us - even our own unconscious routines and habits - it's clear that we aren't always in the driving seat.How is it possible to think clearly when the human brain is so biased and easily swayed? And when should you listen to others rather than 'think for yourself', take a step back and admit you're wrong? The good news is that by better understanding the external and internal forces at work, we can minimise their impact on our lives. Drawing on rigorous interdisciplinary research, leading science journalists Miriam Frankel and Matt Warren bring us extraordinary stories and studies that open our eyes to the inner workings of the mind, challenge our thought processes and improve our decision-making. Most of all, Are You Thinking Clearly? is a rallying cry to think broadly, think boldly - and to listen.

An engaging introduction to data science that emphasizes critical thinking over statistical techniques An introduction to data science or statistics shouldn’t involve proving complex theorems or memorizing obscure terms and formulas, but that is exactly what most introductory quantitative textbooks emphasize. In contrast, Thinking Clearly with Data focuses, first and foremost, on critical thinking and conceptual understanding in order to teach students how to be better consumers and analysts of the kinds of quantitative information and arguments that they will encounter throughout their lives. Among much else, the book teaches how to assess whether an observed relationship in data reflects a genuine relationship in the world and, if so, whether it is causal; how to make the most informative comparisons for answering questions; what questions to ask others who are making arguments using quantitative evidence; which statistics are particularly informative or misleading; how quantitative evidence should and shouldn’t influence decision-making; and how to make better decisions by using moral values as well as data. Filled with real-world examples, the book shows how its thinking tools apply to problems in a wide variety of subjects, including elections, civil conflict, crime, terrorism, financial crises, health care, sports, music, and space travel. Above all else, Thinking Clearly with Data demonstrates why, despite the many benefits of our data-driven age, data can never be a substitute for thinking. An ideal textbook for introductory quantitative methods courses in data science, statistics, political science, economics, psychology, sociology, public policy, and other fields Introduces the basic toolkit of data analysis—including sampling, hypothesis testing, Bayesian inference, regression, experiments, instrumental variables, differences in differences, and regression discontinuity Uses real-world examples and data from a wide variety of subjects Includes practice questions and data exercises

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * GLOBE AND MAIL BESTSELLER * TORONTO STAR BESTSELLER Few things will change your trajectory in life or business as much as learning to think clearly. Yet few of us recognize opportunities to think in the first place. You might believe you’re thinking clearly in the moments that matter most. But in all likelihood, when the pressure is on, you won’t be thinking at all. And your subsequent actions will inevitably move you further from the results you ultimately seek—love, belonging, success, wealth, victory. According to Farnam Street founder Shane Parrish, we must get better at recognizing these opportunities for what they are, and deploying our cognitive ability in order to achieve the life we want. Clear Thinking gives you the tools to recognize the moments that have the potential to transform your trajectory, and reshape how you navigate the critical space between stimulus and response. As Parrish shows, we may imagine we are the protagonists in the story of our lives. But the sad truth is, most of us run on autopilot. Our behavioral defaults, groomed by biology, evolution, and culture, are primed to run the show for us if we don’t intervene. At our worst, we react to events without reasoning, not even realizing that we’ve missed an opportunity to think at all. At our best, we recognize these moments for what they are, and apply the full capacity of our reasoning and rationality to them. Through stories, mental models, and more, Parrish offers the missing link between behavioral science and real-life outcomes. The result is a must-have manual for optimizing decision-making, gaining competitive advantage, and living a more intentional life.

Thinking clearly is a skill in great demand and the ticket to higher-level jobs. Now you have a user-friendly manual that will help you model the behavior and teach your employees to think clearly ¿ a profound gift that they can use in all aspects of their lives. Front Line Guide to Thinking Clearly is one of the few books that introduces the concept of clear thinking in a way people can understand and do it. The book focuses on thinking clearly along with solving problems and making decisions ¿ three competencies identified in a massive research effort as skills that equip managers for success in an increasingly complex business environment. Everyone can learn to think clearly ¿ this is the exciting premise underlying this highly readable book.

Think smarter, better, and faster. Clear thinking is the key to truth, wisdom, and knowledge. Whether it’s from ourselves or others, we rarely see the world as it really is. We aren’t able to think clearly. We build our beliefs on lies, assumptions, and deceptions. This ends now. Practical methods to never be fooled, stop making mistakes, and avoid traps. The Art of Clear Thinking takes an in-depth look at the everyday illusions we come across, and how to defeat them once and for all. What makes us jump to conclusions, evaluate incorrectly, and consistently make errors when we should know better? Why do we act against our own interests so frequently? It’s just how we’re wired. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. This book gives you the tools to clear the fog from your eyes and simply think smarter. Practical methods to instantly be quick-witted, more insightful, and think more critically. Patrick King is an internationally bestselling author and social skills coach. He has sold over a million books. His writing draws of a variety of sources, from research, academic experience, coaching, and real life experience. Discover and avoid biases, blind spots, and poor logic. •The key to intellectual honesty and the biggest obstacle (that you control). •Just how flawed and biased your perceptions, perspectives, and feelings are. •Real logic and the fake logic people try to use to fool you. •How to think independently without being influenced by others. •Principles from some of history’s greatest thinkers: Descartes, Darwin, Einstein, and more.

A world-class thinker counts the 100 ways in which humans behave irrationally, showing us what we can do to recognize and minimize these “thinking errors” to make better decisions and have a better life Despite the best of intentions, humans are notoriously bad—that is, irrational—when it comes to making decisions and assessing risks and tradeoffs. Psychologists and neuroscientists refer to these distinctly human foibles, biases, and thinking traps as “cognitive errors.” Cognitive errors are systematic deviances from rationality, from optimized, logical, rational thinking and behavior. We make these errors all the time, in all sorts of situations, for problems big and small: whether to choose the apple or the cupcake; whether to keep retirement funds in the stock market when the Dow tanks, or whether to take the advice of a friend over a stranger. The “behavioral turn” in neuroscience and economics in the past twenty years has increased our understanding of how we think and how we make decisions. It shows how systematic errors mar our thinking and under which conditions our thought processes work best and worst. Evolutionary psychology delivers convincing theories about why our thinking is, in fact, marred. The neurosciences can pinpoint with increasing precision what exactly happens when we think clearly and when we don’t. Drawing on this wide body of research, The Art of Thinking Clearly is an entertaining presentation of these known systematic thinking errors--offering guidance and insight into everything why you shouldn’t accept a free drink to why you SHOULD walk out of a movie you don’t like it to why it’s so hard to predict the future to why shouldn’t watch the news. The book is organized into 100 short chapters, each covering a single cognitive error, bias, or heuristic. Examples of these concepts include: Reciprocity, Confirmation Bias, The It-Gets-Better-Before-It-Gets-Worse Trap, and the Man-With-A-Hammer Tendency. In engaging prose and with real-world examples and anecdotes, The Art of Thinking Clearly helps solve the puzzle of human reasoning.

Intelligence is the ability to accurately interpret the world fast enough to ensure your survival and progress. In a busy and disruptive world developing the ability to think fast and make accurate decisions fast is an indispensable skill. In this highly awaited masterpiece from the phenomenal learning Coach Ugochukwu Chukwu, he detailed vital exercises to make our thinking clear, our activities helpful, our actions successful and our life ethical. An exercise in clear thinking is not just a manifestation of brilliance or smartness; it is a manifestation of sufficient intelligence that is powered chiefly by courage. To think clearly you must develop the courage to question your assumptions, beliefs, and convictions. Taken as a whole, Exercise in Clear Thinking (ECT) offers a structured, vital, repeatable system for the long term success of any endeavor. Each chapter is carefully designed to clarify your thinking in a way that builds lasting significance and helps you make better decisions in your business, work and personal life. ECT is simultaneously a framework to create any successful project in the present and a tool for securing an enduring legacy in the future. In large and small ways alike, it will save you years of “trial and error” and make your most genuine of dreams to come true. These exercises are not the quick-fix, flavor-of-the-month strategies that are so prevalent in today’s world, Instead, they reflect the ageless truths about how to think thoroughly through a problem, deeply stir yourself into action, cultivate tremendous results and productivity and make the most out of your life. If you ever desire to consistently drive successful outcomes—in specific projects and life in general—while at the same time securing a lasting legacy by building an ethically rich life you need this book as a manual and trusted reference for life challenges.