How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion

How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion

  • Downloads:9233
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2022-06-14 03:19:37
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:David McRaney
  • ISBN:0593190297
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

In this lively journey through human psychology, bestselling author and creator of the You Are Not So Smart podcast David McRaney investigates how minds change--and how to change minds。

What made a prominent conspiracy-theorist YouTuber finally see that 9/11 was not a hoax? How do voter opinions shift from neutral to resolute? Can widespread social change only take place when a generation dies out? From one of our greatest thinkers on reasoning, HOW MINDS CHANGE is a book about the science, and the experience, of transformation。

When self-delusion expert and psychology nerd David McRaney began a book about how to change someone's mind in one conversation, he never expected to change his own。 But then a diehard 9/11 Truther's conversion blew up his theories--inspiring him to ask not just how to persuade, but why we believe, from the eye of the beholder。 Delving into the latest research of psychologists and neuroscientists, HOW MINDS CHANGE explores the limits of reasoning, the power of groupthink, and the effects of deep canvassing。 Told with McRaney's trademark sense of humor, compassion, and scientific curiosity, it's an eye-opening journey among cult members, conspiracy theorists, and political activists, from Westboro Baptist Church picketers to LGBTQ campaigners in California--that ultimately challenges us to question our own motives and beliefs。 In an age of dangerous conspiratorial thinking, can we rise to the occasion with empathy?

An expansive, big-hearted journalistic narrative, HOW MINDS CHANGE reaches surprising and thought-provoking conclusions, to demonstrate the rare but transformative circumstances under which minds can change。

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Reviews

Cari

I read both of McRaney's previous books and enjoyed the journeys they took through typical cognitive fallacies。 It is good to occasionally flip one's thinking upside down, and McRaney does this in a deep and intuitive way in this book。 McRaney wanted to find out how people with strong convictions flipped over into a new way of thinking。 He examines Deep Canvassing and Social Epistomology, two different ways of talking with and listening to people so they can understand others' perspectives。 He t I read both of McRaney's previous books and enjoyed the journeys they took through typical cognitive fallacies。 It is good to occasionally flip one's thinking upside down, and McRaney does this in a deep and intuitive way in this book。 McRaney wanted to find out how people with strong convictions flipped over into a new way of thinking。 He examines Deep Canvassing and Social Epistomology, two different ways of talking with and listening to people so they can understand others' perspectives。 He talks to people like Megan Phelps-Roper, who left the Westboro Baptist Church (and has her own book, UNFOLLOW)。 He also talks with Charlie Veitch, a 9/11 conspiracy theorist who changed his mind after being on a television show that connected him with the victims' families。 I liked the idea of a "tipping point" - people may invite a few new ideas in, then slowly add more until they are fully on the new side and want to know everything about it。 I think many of us can relate to this, even if it's just about something innocuous like discovering a hobby or a new author to read。 This book leans left, so if you're a die-hard conservative, it may not resonate with you。 But who knows。。。 something might change your mind。 。。。more

Chris Boutté

David McRaney did it once again, and I’d be shocked if this wasn’t one of the top books of 2022。 David was kind enough to send me an early copy of the book, and I was obsessed with it。 I read a ton of books about how minds change, why people get stuck in their beliefs and the thinking errors that lead people to resist new information。 With that said, this book was completely unique on so many different levels。 Not only did David have a ton of great interviews with people I’d never heard of befor David McRaney did it once again, and I’d be shocked if this wasn’t one of the top books of 2022。 David was kind enough to send me an early copy of the book, and I was obsessed with it。 I read a ton of books about how minds change, why people get stuck in their beliefs and the thinking errors that lead people to resist new information。 With that said, this book was completely unique on so many different levels。 Not only did David have a ton of great interviews with people I’d never heard of before like street epistemologists, but he also discussed a bunch of psychological studies I was unfamiliar with。 Aside from diving into the psychology of how we change minds, he also had a really in-depth chapter on neuroscience and why we see thinks differently than others, and how some of this research may help decrease polarization。 I don’t want to spoil any of the details of this book, but if you want to learn how to have better conversations and the proven methods for talking with difficult people, you need this book as soon as it launches。 。。。more

Chris Merck

The author recently spoke about this (as yet unreleased) book on Michael Taft’s Deconstructing Yourself podcast。 Although my expectations were low after hearing David’s bio (I’m not usually a fan of so popularly-titled books as his first two), I was impressed with his clarity of thinking and obvious command of what we might call post-rational psychology。 Enough to put this book into my “want to read” bucket。