Take a photo of a barcode or cover
“Freakanomics” fans will appreciate the pop psychology and there’s a lot to consider in our own lives in light of the research and anecdotes written about here. I understand the idea behind calling the book “The Hidden Brain” but the extent to which it was used in the book became distracting.
This book is about "the hidden brain" or the unconscious biases from the old Stone Age brain that influence us everyday. It used neuroscience and psycholgy to give a balanced an throughtful view of events and behaviors. Whether it was guns do more harm through suicide and accidents in the home that defending the home from danger to people seeking consensus in a diaster or how it influences criminal sentencing.
For me the biggest take away is that we're all racist - even me. It made me reevaluate racial biases. It also explained why and how Obama was so good at avoiding the angry black man stigma and getting elected. The analysis about ads aimed at working class white people with hidden racial biases were interesting.
For me the biggest take away is that we're all racist - even me. It made me reevaluate racial biases. It also explained why and how Obama was so good at avoiding the angry black man stigma and getting elected. The analysis about ads aimed at working class white people with hidden racial biases were interesting.
On the surface, this was about the same topic as Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - the two ways our brain processes information. But this was considerably better. The Kahneman book presented the unconscious brain, responsible for fast thought and (often incorrect) instinctual responses and biases as pretty uniformly bad. This book acknowledged that the unconscious brain or "hidden" brain often makes incorrect decisions, but acknowledged that we cannot stop that from happening. We can be aware of it, but it's largely evolutionary thinking that has thousands upon thousands of years of natural selection behind it. Just as in his really interesting podcast, Vedantam presents anecdotes to describe the differing ways our hidden brain affects our thinking and responses, ranging from simple things to serious issues like race bias. It was definitely eye-opening and interesting.
I'm a big fan of Vedantam as an NPR reporter, which drew me to his book. In the genre that Malcolm Gladwell dominates, the writing is only slightly less approachable. That said, his work is bolder and explores uncomfortable areas where few writers tread. Not a "how to" book, a wonderful "holy crap, really?" book. Well done.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This was a really interesting book, but sometimes the stories were so long-winded that it was hard to remember the point.
Woah!
I have so much I could say about every section. I guess the best place to start is by saying I am in a bit of a daze now that I have finished. There is so much swimming through my mind right now. I feel I was able to learn so much more about those around me as well as myself in the process of reading this book.
I cannot recommend this book enough to those who want to look into and beyond their own thoughts.
I have so much I could say about every section. I guess the best place to start is by saying I am in a bit of a daze now that I have finished. There is so much swimming through my mind right now. I feel I was able to learn so much more about those around me as well as myself in the process of reading this book.
I cannot recommend this book enough to those who want to look into and beyond their own thoughts.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
I enjoy listening to the author on NPR and I enjoyed the first few chapters of the book. I might recommend the book to someone with no knowledge of how subconscious/unconscious biases and motivations affect our actions. But anyone with any knowledge on the subject will probably become impatient with the book, and anyone with any knowledge or experience of the effect that unconscious bias can have on crucial matters of social justice will probably wonder why the author seems surprised by what is painfully obvious.
Shankar Vedantam is one of my favorite NPR correspondents. I enjoy the way he presents research news, almost always with the goal of making us rethink something we thought we understood already. This book takes a look at our unconscious biases and how they may harm ourselves and others. Vedantam provides a scientific, research-based point of view to explain seemingly illogical or confusing behaviors and outcomes. Reading this book can be an important step toward understanding why we do some of the things we do, and toward changing racist, sexist and just plain dumb behavior.