86 Quotes by David McRaney

In the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.

You are biased to overestimate the emotional impact of future events.

A roundworm has about three hundred neurons. A cat has about a billion, and you have about eighty-five billion.

If you see yourself as the kind of person who owns Apple computers, or who drives hybrids, or who smokes Camels, you’ve been branded. And once a person is branded, that person will defend the brand by finding flaws in the alternative choice and pointing out benefits in his or her own.

The next time you get a pimple on your forehead, or buy a new pair of shoes, or Tweet about how boring your day is, don’t expect anyone to notice. You are not so smart or special.

You are always looking for risks and rewards, but when you want to believe something is good you will unconsciously turn down the volume on the bad qualities, and vice versa.

Mathematically speaking, though, there is a miracle happening every time you turn a page of this book.

The tendency to believe vague statements designed to appeal to just about anyone is called the Forer effect, and psychologists point to this phenomenon to explain why people fall for pseudoscience like biorhythms, iridology, and phrenology, or mysticism like astrology, numerology, and tarot cards.

As comedian Tim Minchin says in his song “Storm,” “Do you know what they call alternative medicine that’s been proved to work? Medicine.