Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-01 06:54:18
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Gabriel Weinberg
- ISBN：0525533583
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Summary
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller！
"You can't really know anything if you just remember isolated facts。 If the facts don't hang together on a latticework of theory， you don't have them in a usable form。 You've got to have models in your head。"
- Charlie Munger， investor， vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway
The world's greatest problem-solvers， forecasters， and decision-makers all rely on a set of frameworks and shortcuts that help them cut through complexity and separate good ideas from bad ones。 They're called mental models， and you can find them in dense textbooks on psychology， physics， economics， and more。
Or， you can just read Super Thinking， a fun， illustrated guide to every mental model you could possibly need。 How can mental models help you？ Well， here are just a few examples。。。
• If you've ever been overwhelmed by a to-do list that's grown too long， maybe you need the Eisenhower Decision Matrix to help you prioritize。
• Use the 5 Whys model to better understand people's motivations or get to the root cause of a problem。
• Before concluding that your colleague who messes up your projects is out to sabotage you， consider Hanlon's Razor for an alternative explanation。
• Ever sat through a bad movie just because you paid a lot for the ticket？ You might be falling prey to Sunk Cost Fallacy。
• Set up Forcing Functions， like standing meeting or deadlines， to help grease the wheels for changes you want to occur。
So， the next time you find yourself faced with a difficult decision or just trying to understand a complex situation， let Super Thinking upgrade your brain with mental models。
Note: in the US the subtitle is The Big Book of Mental Models and outside it is Upgrade Your Reasoning and Make Better Decisions with Mental Models。
"You can't really know anything if you just remember isolated facts。 If the facts don't hang together on a latticework of theory， you don't have them in a usable form。 You've got to have models in your head。"
- Charlie Munger， investor， vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway
The world's greatest problem-solvers， forecasters， and decision-makers all rely on a set of frameworks and shortcuts that help them cut through complexity and separate good ideas from bad ones。 They're called mental models， and you can find them in dense textbooks on psychology， physics， economics， and more。
Or， you can just read Super Thinking， a fun， illustrated guide to every mental model you could possibly need。 How can mental models help you？ Well， here are just a few examples。。。
• If you've ever been overwhelmed by a to-do list that's grown too long， maybe you need the Eisenhower Decision Matrix to help you prioritize。
• Use the 5 Whys model to better understand people's motivations or get to the root cause of a problem。
• Before concluding that your colleague who messes up your projects is out to sabotage you， consider Hanlon's Razor for an alternative explanation。
• Ever sat through a bad movie just because you paid a lot for the ticket？ You might be falling prey to Sunk Cost Fallacy。
• Set up Forcing Functions， like standing meeting or deadlines， to help grease the wheels for changes you want to occur。
So， the next time you find yourself faced with a difficult decision or just trying to understand a complex situation， let Super Thinking upgrade your brain with mental models。
Note: in the US the subtitle is The Big Book of Mental Models and outside it is Upgrade Your Reasoning and Make Better Decisions with Mental Models。
Reviews
Tuncay Özdemir
，
Kitabın ilham kaynağı Warren Buffet'in sağ kolu ve ortağı Charlie Munger ve onun zihin modelleri。 Charlie'nin olan biteni çok hızlı ve doğru bir şekilde kavraması ona harika bir kariyer ve zenginlik getirmiş。 Zaten Warren Buffet tarafından bu özelliği nedeniyle sıkça övülüyor。 Kendisi de üniversite konuşmalarında "dünyayı olduğu gibi görebilme ve olayların nereye doğru seyredeceğini kestirebilme" yetisinin önemine vurgu yapan konuşmalar yapmış。 Bu kitabın tanıtımında da onun şu sözleri yer alıyo Kitabın ilham kaynağı Warren Buffet'in sağ kolu ve ortağı Charlie Munger ve onun zihin modelleri。 Charlie'nin olan biteni çok hızlı ve doğru bir şekilde kavraması ona harika bir kariyer ve zenginlik getirmiş。 Zaten Warren Buffet tarafından bu özelliği nedeniyle sıkça övülüyor。 Kendisi de üniversite konuşmalarında "dünyayı olduğu gibi görebilme ve olayların nereye doğru seyredeceğini kestirebilme" yetisinin önemine vurgu yapan konuşmalar yapmış。 Bu kitabın tanıtımında da onun şu sözleri yer alıyor: "You can't really know anything if you just remember isolated facts。 If the facts don't hang together on a latticework of theory， you don't have them in a usable form。 You've got to have models in your head。" Aynı şekilde bir önceki okuduğum kitapta da （the personal mba） ona ve mental modellerine referans var。 Anlayacağınız bir jenerasyonu derinden etkilemiş onun bu bakış açısı。 Ben de doğru ve "structured" düşünmenin büyük bir takipçisi olarak bu kitabı okumadan edemedim。 Aslında kitapta anlatılan effect'ler， bias'lar， 2'ye 2 matrixler vs çok yeni şeyler değil ama hepsini topluca belli bir akış dahilinde bulmak faydalı。 Gene kariyerinin ve yatırım hayatının başındaki kişilere önereceğim。 Yazarlar da "kendileri hayatın başındayken ellerinde olmasını arzu ettikleri kitabı" yazdıklarını söylüyor zaten。 。。。more
Tenzin Wangdhen
，
The premise of the book is around Munger's idea of having a "latticework of mental models"。 This book tries to compile as many of these mental models as possible， connecting the dots between them with distinct themes between chapters。 Some of the models seem almost idiomatic and not worth mentioning， such as "imposter syndrome" or "weekly one-on-one"， but that could just be due to my own familiarity with some of the concepts。 Some of the concepts have entire books covering them， but here they on The premise of the book is around Munger's idea of having a "latticework of mental models"。 This book tries to compile as many of these mental models as possible， connecting the dots between them with distinct themes between chapters。 Some of the models seem almost idiomatic and not worth mentioning， such as "imposter syndrome" or "weekly one-on-one"， but that could just be due to my own familiarity with some of the concepts。 Some of the concepts have entire books covering them， but here they only get a few paragraphs at most。 This allows you to quickly appreciate the concepts without having to go through the anecdotes and gift wrapping of ideas in some one-concept books。 As others have said though， it doesn't have enough information on any particular concept to really install them - but the reader can then elect to explore those ideas further。 。。。more
Shailesh
，
One of the most engaging and informative books I've ever read。 The author have picked up concepts from diverse domains and beautifully demonstrated how they can be applied to our day to day life at all levels。Can't recommend enough！ One of the most engaging and informative books I've ever read。 The author have picked up concepts from diverse domains and beautifully demonstrated how they can be applied to our day to day life at all levels。Can't recommend enough！ 。。。more
Kirubakaran Sujanaranjan
，
Too much mental models in a single book， could have made into series of books。
Madhur Bhargava
，
I would like to use a mental model from this book itself to describe it - Hanlon's razor - Never attribute to malice what can be attributed to carelessness。 This book is just that - carelessness in hard cover。 It seems the authors thought， "gee， we have already sold a company， how could a book be any difficult？"。 The book itself is filled with contrarian examples - Chapter 1 introduces Hanlon's razor， Chapter 2 mentions this exact line - "Expect all people at all times to operate in their own se I would like to use a mental model from this book itself to describe it - Hanlon's razor - Never attribute to malice what can be attributed to carelessness。 This book is just that - carelessness in hard cover。 It seems the authors thought， "gee， we have already sold a company， how could a book be any difficult？"。 The book itself is filled with contrarian examples - Chapter 1 introduces Hanlon's razor， Chapter 2 mentions this exact line - "Expect all people at all times to operate in their own selfish interests。" - Super Thinking - nope， Super Carelessness - definitely yes。Overall， the authors describe many basic models in few lines much of which is not backed/described by adequate research or enough real examples and can be found nowadays everywhere（blogs， videos and what not）。 If the readers are seriously looking to understand mental models then I will definitely recommend Shane Parrish's books - the best which I have read till now on the subject of Mental Models。 This is just kindergarten stuff compared to that。 I am sorry if this review sounds crude but I had really high hopes from this one。 。。。more
Amy Bean
，
Highly recommend this book to the young and old， especially to the young。 These mental models can assist with both professional and personal decisions。 Interesting read， easy to interpret and apply。 It is all about becoming a better thinker， a better decision-maker。Now more than ever we must interpret data and facts for ourselves。 Figure out what is really going on so we can live according to our values。
James Chorley
，
Meh。 A summary tools and models you probably already know。 Read a summary online。
Matthew
，
The authors certainly accomplished what they set out to do。 The mental models laid out in the book offer an incredible array of tools for any recent graduate。 For myself， I found that most of the mental models were familiar to me from previous reading。
Veronika
，
A really interesting book about different mental models that can be used in everyday life。 For me personally there were a little bit too many mental models listed， which makes it quite hard to follow and understand everything， however still recommend everyone who is interested in behavioral psychology。
Nidhin Raj
，
Most brilliant introduction into mental models。 It will change the way you think and bring in a new perspective about life。
Cj Warne
，
A great read on how to apply different models to problems you want to solve。 The authors do a good job making what could be a “heady” subject easy to follow and read。
Fran Cormack
，
Read this book。 It will instantly make you smarter。
Nacho Bassino
，
A good compilation of mental models。 While useful， I think it lacks a guiding narrative。 It feels like it moves from topic to topic without a strong structure， which ends up being difficult to remember so many important concepts。
Vish Agashe
，
Understanding existing mental model is must for everyoneVery easy read with relatable examples。 Makes you think about your day to day situations and how these models are in effect with everyday encounters。
Jerry
，
I always like books on mental models。 I agree with the authors that a book like this， years ago， would have done me a world of good。 There is some really good stuff in here。 But there is also some other things that are more basic to business which I don’t really consider models。 Seemed like added stuff， which I didn’t need。 Still， it was a good read。
beingCristina
，
I love the poetic intelligence in mapping it in a way that is easy to digest and contemplate。
Cairo Cananea
，
Esse é o tipo de livro que você precisa ler se deseja pensar。 Não no modo filosófico da coisa， mas verdadeiramente raciocinar e sair do abismo da ignorância。Ferramentas poderosas para lidar com situações simples ou complexas na vida， no trabalho， nos estudos， na carreira， na vida empreendedora。。。A leitura é divertida e super agradável， cheia de ideias e exemplos dos modelos mentais apresentados。Quase faltou post-it pra marcar tantas páginas e sessões 😉
Nathan Fritz
，
Middle chapters on statistics and studies should be in separate book。 Otherwise very insightful。
Atal Agarwal
，
This book has a lot to offer about how to approach problems in life。 It has a lot of good knowledge and I would love to re-read
Ashlin Abraham
，
A great book to help you understand different strategies or mental models to quickly understand， organize and act upon information。 It covers relevant models to help with problem solving， making decisions， working with others， planning for the future， managing your time and understanding data - in an easy to follow， often humorous and applicable way。I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in learning and elevating their thinking。
Victor Hom
，
Enjoyed all the ideas。 Want to reread
Dustin
，
Couldn't finish it。 I'll blame it on indoctrination fatigue。 I guess only liberals use mental models based on the examples in the book。 Couldn't finish it。 I'll blame it on indoctrination fatigue。 I guess only liberals use mental models based on the examples in the book。 。。。more
Marco
，
I do not recommend this book。 To begin， the book is rife with filler。 Weinberg and McCann have dragged this debacle out to 318 pages when， with a more conventional format， they likely would have struggled to hit 200。 The book has wide margins and is littered with redundant illustrations - some of which are funny but very few add any true value。 That being said， Super Thinking makes for an ok， inattentive， lazy read。Super Thinking is plagued by 1） evident statements of common sense framed as insi I do not recommend this book。 To begin， the book is rife with filler。 Weinberg and McCann have dragged this debacle out to 318 pages when， with a more conventional format， they likely would have struggled to hit 200。 The book has wide margins and is littered with redundant illustrations - some of which are funny but very few add any true value。 That being said， Super Thinking makes for an ok， inattentive， lazy read。Super Thinking is plagued by 1） evident statements of common sense framed as insight 2） an over-dependence on social psychology 3） a lack of any coherent narrative。 With the narrative， the authors attempt to highlight loose relationships between concepts， lurching from one poorly explained concept to the next。 In writing Super Thinking， it’s evident the authors wanted to force in as many concepts as possible rather than pay any credence to weaving the concepts together。 Buying this book was stupid thinking， ha！ 。。。more
Maulik Balar
，
A good readA very interesting read。 Enjoyed a lot。 Recommended for anyone who is interested in behavioural sciences especially。 Definitely going in the repeat read list。
Kevin Demel
，
I can understand why mental models can help one in making decisions in any area of their life。 But the challenge is getting adept enough in the model to make it beneficial to one's decision making。 Thus the book has a list of a lot of mental models to explore but you will need to find more information about them and them start applying them to be confident that they are helping you make better decisions。 I can understand why mental models can help one in making decisions in any area of their life。 But the challenge is getting adept enough in the model to make it beneficial to one's decision making。 Thus the book has a list of a lot of mental models to explore but you will need to find more information about them and them start applying them to be confident that they are helping you make better decisions。 。。。more
Chad Horenfeldt
，
It took me a while to trudge through this book but the mental models are also laid out in themes that can help you digest them and in a way that you can relate them to your own life。 I was aware of many of these models but it provided the context I needed to form a mental boxes around these so I can better use them in my day to day。 I've also written or plan to write several pieces by applying these mental models to my own area of specialty。 Some chapters are more relevant than others so pick wh It took me a while to trudge through this book but the mental models are also laid out in themes that can help you digest them and in a way that you can relate them to your own life。 I was aware of many of these models but it provided the context I needed to form a mental boxes around these so I can better use them in my day to day。 I've also written or plan to write several pieces by applying these mental models to my own area of specialty。 Some chapters are more relevant than others so pick what is most meaningful to you。 You will want to create notes （I exported these to a note taking tool， Roam） so you can think more about how to apply these concepts。 Once you get towards the end of the book， the different models start to come together well so be sure to read it in chronological order。 。。。more
Michelle
，
Took me forever to finish。 I love reading about mental models， but would rather have gone deep on a few then spew 100s with a few sentences on each。 Favorite chapters were the first few where some of the basic biases were discussed and the importance of "being wrong less"。 Took me forever to finish。 I love reading about mental models， but would rather have gone deep on a few then spew 100s with a few sentences on each。 Favorite chapters were the first few where some of the basic biases were discussed and the importance of "being wrong less"。 。。。more
Sumit Pareek
，
A good resource for mental models。 But it is more of a reference book that you can refer to from time to time。 It has a plethora of information and you might already aware of most of the knowledge present in the book。 Give it a read once but I would suggest keeping it to revisit it from time to time。
Jorg van Gaal
，
I agree with the authors that this book would be good for students or young people to start with。 It brings a lot of interesting principles and mental models that are very useful in life and business。 As a somewhat experienced business professional for me it was mostly a good summary and reminder of many concepts I know and apply。Still credit to the authors to put it all together in a coherent piece of literature。
Finlay
，