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A review by aecorsilva
The Quick Fix: Why Fad Psychology Can't Cure Our Social Ills by Jesse Singal
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.5
this book does a high-quality job of exploring how poorly-designed studies can, when reported on poorly and which play into preexisting attitudes, end up as popular ideas taken as gospel even when they're proven to have little to no effect, with devastating results on criminal justice systems and mental illness treatment in the military. one central thing i loved about the book is that it doesn't shy away from detail: it goes in depth about all of the statistical and scientific tricks researchers can use.
however, it does get quite repetitive: jesse singal is one of those people who spends too much time on twitter and has all his statements misinterpreted constantly, so in his writing now he'll repeat himself to cover all bases or add nuance that at times seems unnecessary. this really isn't a big deal, although when it coincided with the more boring chapters at the end of the book (which looked at entire disciplines and were just generally more dry) it was kind of annoying. still, it's an excellent book that i think everyone should read, and i especially enjoyed the chapters on superpredators, power posing, and grit in the military.
however, it does get quite repetitive: jesse singal is one of those people who spends too much time on twitter and has all his statements misinterpreted constantly, so in his writing now he'll repeat himself to cover all bases or add nuance that at times seems unnecessary. this really isn't a big deal, although when it coincided with the more boring chapters at the end of the book (which looked at entire disciplines and were just generally more dry) it was kind of annoying. still, it's an excellent book that i think everyone should read, and i especially enjoyed the chapters on superpredators, power posing, and grit in the military.