Nonfiction

The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit

The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit

  • Downloads：6266
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-16 08:51:53
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：John V. Petrocelli
  • ISBN：1250271622
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Expanding upon his viral TEDx Talk， psychology professor and social scientist John V。 Petrocelli's The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit reveals the critical thinking habits you can develop to recognize and combat pervasive false information and delusional thinking that has become a common feature of everyday life。

"This is the perfect moment for。。。the psychology of detecting fake news in the world around us—and false beliefs about ourselves too。”
—Adam Grant

Bullshit is the foundation of contaminated thinking and bad decisions that leads to health consequences， financial losses， legal consequences， broken relationships， and wasted time and resources。

No matter how smart we believe ourselves to be， we’re all susceptible to bullshit—and we all engage in it。 While we may brush it off as harmless marketing sales speak or as humorous， embellished claims， it’s actually much more dangerous and insidious。 It’s how Bernie Madoff successfully swindled billions of dollars from even the most experienced financial experts with his Ponzi scheme。 It’s how the protocols of Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward resulted in the deaths of 36 million people from starvation。 Presented as truths by authority figures and credentialed experts， bullshit appears legitimate， and we accept their words as gospel。 If we don’t question the information we receive from bullshit artists to prove their thoughts and theories， we allow these falsehoods to take root in our memories and beliefs。 This faulty data affects our decision making capabilities， sometimes resulting in regrettable life choices。

But with a little dose of skepticism and a commitment to truth seeking， you can build your critical thinking and scientific reasoning skills to evaluate information， separate fact from fiction， and see through bullshitter spin。 In The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit， experimental social psychologist John V。 Petrocelli provides invaluable strategies not only to recognize and protect yourself from everyday bullshit， but to accept your own lack of knowledge about subjects and avoid engaging in bullshit just for societal conformity。

With real world examples from people versed in bullshit who work in the used car， real estate， wine， and diamond industries， Petrocelli exposes the red-flag warning signs found in the anecdotal stories， emotional language， and buzzwords used by bullshitters that persuade our decisions。 By using his critical thinking defensive tactics against those motivated by profit， we will also learn how to stop the toxic misinformation spread from the social media influencers， fake news， and op-eds that permeate our culture and call out bullshit whenever we see it。

Download

Reviews

Shawna Wilson ，

Man so many people need to read this book。 The BS going on right now could be stopped by reading this book。

bri ，

This book was so helpful。 I， like many people， think that 1） I don't fall for bullshit and 2） that I don't bullshit people。 After reading this book I am convinced that we all do both。 I would love for everyone to read this book so we can all come together to create a society with less bullshit。 This book was so helpful。 I， like many people， think that 1） I don't fall for bullshit and 2） that I don't bullshit people。 After reading this book I am convinced that we all do both。 I would love for everyone to read this book so we can all come together to create a society with less bullshit。 。。。more

Sara Goldenberg ，

Wow。 Love this author and LOVE the way he presents the subject！ Recommended！ Hope to read more from him！！！

Bill Olson ，

Has many examples and the author’s definition of what constitutes bullshit vs lies。 Also shows many fallacies people fall into using （or improperly using） logic and proof。 Written in a conversational style so isn’t like a textbook or anything like that。 I found it to be a fairly quick read。

Britt B ，

I did not enjoy reading this /:

September ，

Wow。 Do not， I repeat， do NOT take a shot every time you hear the word "bullshit" （or any variant thereof）。 You'd be dead before being even a fraction of the way through the book！ The "bullshit" vortex was so over the top， just about everything else faded into nonexistence。This was quite frankly， according to the author's perspectives， a "bullshit" read。 He used anecdotes as supportive 'evidence'， which he repeatedly spoke out against。 He made value judgements & presented them as fact instead of Wow。 Do not， I repeat， do NOT take a shot every time you hear the word "bullshit" （or any variant thereof）。 You'd be dead before being even a fraction of the way through the book！ The "bullshit" vortex was so over the top， just about everything else faded into nonexistence。This was quite frankly， according to the author's perspectives， a "bullshit" read。 He used anecdotes as supportive 'evidence'， which he repeatedly spoke out against。 He made value judgements & presented them as fact instead of accurate historical information。This felt more like a knee jerk response to the ripple effects of US politics in recent years。 I often find it funny， when so much focus is placed on the 'problem of poor critical thinking skills，' when the education systems are designed to teach people to consume & regurgitate OTHERS' thinking。 If most 'learning' is actually consuming， with very little focus on HOW to THINK - let alone critically， how can we expect anyone to jump straight to skilled critical thinking？！ Another ironic tid-bit。 The author is preaching to the choir， but it's evident he thinks this message should be heard by those who don't have or care to gain the ability to detect bullshit。 He even admits that they won't hear it， let alone embrace it。 So， what is this？ Self-congratulatory ego stroking （for him and the reader）？ Personally， I found "You Can't Lie to Me" by Janine Driver to be a far more valuable read。 Similar concept， but Driver is very clear it's not about hunting lies。 It's catching the 'hot spots' that can be extremely revelatory。Lastly， that "bullshit" vortex nearly took me out; I nearly stopped at 85%。 How many times can someone squeeze that one word into one sentence？！ Ugh， kill me now！！ 。。。more

Mandy Wultsch ，

This book is great， no bullshit。 It defines bullshit， gives copious examples， and then gives you tools to recognize bullshit in the wild。 The author studies bullshit in his university lab and it was fascinating to hear about what kind of studies are done and how they did them。 I would like to think that I would not be taken in by bullshit， but I'm sure there is some bullshit I have fallen for and will fall for in the future， even as I am on the lookout for it。 Hopefully reading this book has giv This book is great， no bullshit。 It defines bullshit， gives copious examples， and then gives you tools to recognize bullshit in the wild。 The author studies bullshit in his university lab and it was fascinating to hear about what kind of studies are done and how they did them。 I would like to think that I would not be taken in by bullshit， but I'm sure there is some bullshit I have fallen for and will fall for in the future， even as I am on the lookout for it。 Hopefully reading this book has given me the right skills to identify bullshit and ask the right questions to get to the bottom of whether or not it is bullshit。Recommended for all ages。 No sexual or violent content， and bullshit is the only curse word in the book。 。。。more

Pete Zilla ，

Very entertaining。 Uses new and familiar examples of how we are manipulated into believing bullshit。

Sadie-Jane Alexis Nunis ，

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫Being an editor， former head librarian， and having the ability to smell the smoke as it comes， I adored this book。The examples given have baffled me before and I am so glad to know that I am not alone。Check out my previous post for a more in-depth review https://www。instagram。com/tv/CUNaMZGK。。。Thank you #pansing @definitelybooks for this review copy。Keep those non-fiction and fiction titles coming！ 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫Being an editor， former head librarian， and having the ability to smell the smoke as it comes， I adored this book。The examples given have baffled me before and I am so glad to know that I am not alone。Check out my previous post for a more in-depth review https://www。instagram。com/tv/CUNaMZGK。。。Thank you #pansing @definitelybooks for this review copy。Keep those non-fiction and fiction titles coming！ 。。。more

Kurt Swigart ，

Three stars because there is good information here， but it rankles me a bit that he thanks everyone but Carl Sagan who's book （Demon Haunted World: Science as a candlelight in the dark） is b etter than this pale comparison Three stars because there is good information here， but it rankles me a bit that he thanks everyone but Carl Sagan who's book （Demon Haunted World: Science as a candlelight in the dark） is b etter than this pale comparison 。。。more

E Cheong ，

Skipped chapters 。。。no new insight into human nature

Helen ，

Won a copy as a Goodreads Giveaway。 Well worth the read。

Fletcher Neal ，

The best part of this is the argument for normalizing people calling bullshit， and how much better the world would be if that actually was the norm。

RodOlson ，

A Must Read for this moment。 It's THE best summary of many the most credible experts studies that have uncovered our mental hacks and how to discipline our minds to detect BULLSHIT and then be the cause of good in the world to join in and STOP it from spreading。Clue to that how to stop it。。。 CALL IT OUT， wherever and whenever you detect it！ A Must Read for this moment。 It's THE best summary of many the most credible experts studies that have uncovered our mental hacks and how to discipline our minds to detect BULLSHIT and then be the cause of good in the world to join in and STOP it from spreading。Clue to that how to stop it。。。 CALL IT OUT， wherever and whenever you detect it！ 。。。more

Russ ，

Meh。 I think his anecdotes suck and I'm not sure if I agree with his differences between bullshit and lies。 He seems to rehash a lot of the ideas from the better book， Mindware by Richard Nisbett。 Except he adds bullshit on every page。 Besides， what is wrong with bullshit？ We are social animals and storytellers。 Part of storytelling is bullshitting or rather embellishing in order to drive home a point。 I think the lack of critical thinking is the issue， not the storytelling。If you've never read Meh。 I think his anecdotes suck and I'm not sure if I agree with his differences between bullshit and lies。 He seems to rehash a lot of the ideas from the better book， Mindware by Richard Nisbett。 Except he adds bullshit on every page。 Besides， what is wrong with bullshit？ We are social animals and storytellers。 Part of storytelling is bullshitting or rather embellishing in order to drive home a point。 I think the lack of critical thinking is the issue， not the storytelling。If you've never read a book about critical thinking or persuasion， you might find this book's tools and techniques useful。 。。。more

Reading with Robson ，

Guy was itching to insert his own political beliefs around every corner。

Lee ，

Very very topical for 2021。 Informative， well written， entertaining。

Amelia Kow ，

3。5

golightly23 ，

Nothing earth shattering unless you aren't use to thinking about things critically。 There were some funny anecdotes and helped me to better understand how Bullshit is voraciously consumed at times。 Glad it is over。 Nothing earth shattering unless you aren't use to thinking about things critically。 There were some funny anecdotes and helped me to better understand how Bullshit is voraciously consumed at times。 Glad it is over。 。。。more

Emanuele Gemelli ，

Interesting analysis about how to deal with BS in our contemporary life。 Although a bit shallow here and there， just to capture readers， I found some useful tips that can be used during my normal daily life。

Z。S ，

this get only 4 out of 5 because the book starts ok， but peters out in the final portion。 In addition， the author has to throw in a couple of his progressive infomercials （EG gun control）。 These liberals are as obsessive-compulsive about their ideology as the crank who cannot resist opening the trenchcoat in the subway to expose himself: what a shame。 This said， the book is interesting。

Yehmehneh ，

meh

Cav ，

"The truth may be puzzling。 It may take some work to grapple with。 It may be counterintuitive。 It may contradict deeply held prejudices。 It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true。 But our preferences do not determine what’s true。。。"—Carl SaganThe Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit was a great read。 The author drops the above quote at the start of the book。Author John V。 Petrocelli is a Professor of Psychology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem， North Carol "The truth may be puzzling。 It may take some work to grapple with。 It may be counterintuitive。 It may contradict deeply held prejudices。 It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true。 But our preferences do not determine what’s true。。。"—Carl SaganThe Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit was a great read。 The author drops the above quote at the start of the book。Author John V。 Petrocelli is a Professor of Psychology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem， North Carolina。 He writes of himself: "I am a social psychologist and my research involves experimental social cognition and judgment and decision making。 My specific research interests include attitude strength and persuasion， bullshitting， counterfactual thinking and metacognition。" John V。 Petrocelli: The book opens with a bang， as Petrocelli delivers a high-energy intro。 He recounts the story of 2017 NBA All-Star Game superstar Kyrie Irving advocating for people to do "research" and see that the earth is flat。 Petrocelli mentions a few other common misconceptions: "Kyrie isn’t alone in believing something that isn’t true。 Many people still believe you can see the Great Wall of China from the Moon， despite the fact that Apollo astronauts confirmed that you cannot。8 Many people believe that one human year is equivalent to seven dog years， although dog age actually depends on the size and breed of the dog （after 7 years， a Saint Bernard is 54， but a Maltese is only 44）。9 It’s often said that you lose your body heat fastest through your head， despite the fact experts have shown humans to be just as cold if they went without wearing pants as if they went without wearing a hat。10 People continue to insist that giving children sugar makes them hyperactive， despite the fact that virtually all tests show that sugar does not cause hyperactivity。11 And many people still believe that vitamin C is an effective treatment for a cold， despite the fact that experts have demonstrated little to no evidence that this is true。" Petrocelli has a natural and easy writing style， that effectively holds the reader's attention， and has the effect of making the book very engaging and readable。 Points awarded for this。 My reviews are always very heavily weighted on how engaging and interesting an author's prose is， and thankfully Petrocelli doesn't disappoint here。Petrocelli introduces a humorous "Bullshit Flies Index" in the first chapter， ranking bullshit according to how damaging it is: He drops this famous thought experiment， that examines people's faulty thought processes: "The two general styles of thinking are intuitive and reflective thinking。 To understand the distinction， try answering this question:A bat and a ball cost $1。10 in total。 The bat costs $1。00 more than the ball。 How much does the ball cost？If you are like most people， your first answer was 10 cents。 Although that’s the most common answer， it is wrong。 If the ball cost 10 cents， then the bat would cost $1。00， and the bat would thereby cost only 90 cents more than the ball。 The bat costs $1。00 more than the ball， and the only way for that to be the case is for the bat to cost $1。05 and the ball to cost 5 cents。 What makes this problem difficult is that the pull of the intuitive and incorrect response is significantly stronger because it comes to mind more quickly than the correct response。 In order to arrive at the correct response， you must fight against the intuitive pull and stop to reflect for a few moments—it requires reflective thinking。。。"Another great quote， about those who excessively bullshit: "High-propensity bullshitters are remarkably easy to spot。 They are the type of people often found evangelizing and proselytizing about their beliefs to anyone willing to listen。They do this because convincing otherwise rational people to agree with their opinions reduces any psychological discomfort they may feel for believing their own bullshit。Because relying on evidence to make decisions does not appeal to them， high-propensity bullshitters tend to show signs of irritation when asked to provide reasons for their beliefs。。。"Some more of what is covered here includes:• Professional wine reviewers; price as a rule of thumb。• Personality tests; the cottages industries surrounding them。 The "Big 5" Personality traits。• Mao Zedong's disastrous "Great Leap Forward。" The largest man-made catastrophe in history， it resulted in millions of famine deaths。 His "Four Pests Campaign" went after four nuisance pests; rats， flies， mosquitoes， and sparrows。 The mosquitos responsible for malaria， the rodents that spread the plague， the pervasive airborne flies， and the sparrows—specifically the Eurasian tree sparrow—which ate grain seed and fruit。• Bernie Madoff and Ponzi schemes。• Stanley Milgram's famous social compliance experiments。• Solomon Asch's Conformity Experiments。• Dr。 Mehmet Oz。• The Dunning–Kruger effect。• Paid posts by social media influencers。• "Facilitated communication" for autistic children。• Deepak Chopra; pseudo profundity， "therapeutic touch。"• TED Talks， Cynthia Thurlow• A bit of "Critical thinking 101。"• The artificially-inflated value of diamonds。• Dowsing。• The fake ADE 651 bomb detector。I did find a small point of contention here。 He takes a shot at Cynthia Thurlow’s TEDx Talk， titled Intermittent Fasting: Transformational Technique， casting doubt on the health benefits of fasting and intermittent fasting。 The Ph。D。 biochemist， Rhonda Patrick has compiled quite a lot of research on this， which， along with many other fitness and health-related topics， can be found on her site， foundmyfitness。com。 She says this， and posts links to the data: "。。。As such， time-restricted eating may trigger some beneficial health effects， such as reduced fat mass， increased lean muscle mass， reduced inflammation， improved heart function with age， increased mitochondrial volume， ketone body production， improved repair processes， and enhanced aerobic endurance。"*************************I enjoyed The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit。 Petrocelli presents the material here in an effective and interesting manner。 Although most of what he covered here was not new to me， those who are not well-versed in social psychology will no doubt find this content extremely interesting and informative。I would recommend this one to anyone interested。5 stars。 。。。more

Diane S ☔ ，

I can't think of a subject more needed， worth discussing than the one in the title。 In the United States right now bullshit and those who believe every outlandish conspiracy theory thrown their way， are running rampant。 Violence and the lack of concern for others is putting all at risk。 So， how does this happen？ Why do people believe things that leave those with any common sense， frustrated， shaking their heads。 This book goes into some of these scenarios， people， in detail。 Personality traits， I can't think of a subject more needed， worth discussing than the one in the title。 In the United States right now bullshit and those who believe every outlandish conspiracy theory thrown their way， are running rampant。 Violence and the lack of concern for others is putting all at risk。 So， how does this happen？ Why do people believe things that leave those with any common sense， frustrated， shaking their heads。 This book goes into some of these scenarios， people， in detail。 Personality traits， biases that make one a victim to these flagrant untruths。Political untruths， marketing tactics， cons， people feeling left out， wanting to belong to something， easily swayed， the list goes on and on。 One needs to practice due diligence， fact check before one spreads these conspiracies， but most don't。 This book tackles different scenarios， from the marketing of jewelry and wine， to the Madoff pyramid scheme。 Interesting though maybe because I am a skeptic， I'm not easily sold， much here seems to me， like good old common sense。 My hubby always says， common sense isn't so common anymore。 Unfortunately those who could really use this book probably won't read， and if they did， they wouldn't believe。At books end， the author provides a list of fact checking sites。"In other words， one's susceptibility to being duped by bullshit is associated with an intuitive， less effortful， or careless thinking style。""Bullshit can create an equally deceptive cognitive illusion if it focuses our thinking on incomplete information or nothing's that are really not there。"ARC from Netgalley 。。。more

Ashley ，

There were some interesting anecdotes about people spewing bullshit and those getting duped by it （though I as familiar with most of them） but the general tone of the book was occasionally off-putting。 I generally agreed with the advice on how to think more critically but that also meant none of it was helpful to me。 I wished the book was less American focused。 I listened on audio so I can't confirm but I think the only non-American bullshit example was about China's Great Leap Forward and， whil There were some interesting anecdotes about people spewing bullshit and those getting duped by it （though I as familiar with most of them） but the general tone of the book was occasionally off-putting。 I generally agreed with the advice on how to think more critically but that also meant none of it was helpful to me。 I wished the book was less American focused。 I listened on audio so I can't confirm but I think the only non-American bullshit example was about China's Great Leap Forward and， while I know little about the topic， I thought it was handled in a brazen and unnuanced manner。I worry this book may be preaching to the choir。 I'm not certain how many people would bother to pick this book up if they didn't at least value critical thinking somewhat and then some of those would be put off with the frequent swearing or by the American politics included。 Now， there's no doubt that Trump is a wellspring of bullshit but it's almost low-hanging fruit。 Considering he does later say that you're unlikely to change people's minds by called them dumb the smugness contained within this book is bound to make many put it down and especially those that need it most。 。。。more

Michele Pfrogner ，

"Operate from the reality that people are often wrong--even scientists--and you will naturally and consistently be asking questions （174-175）。Following the author's advice， I have a few questions to ask him:Would you have written this book if Donald Trump had not been elected President？How did you select the presidential quotes/actions anecdotes for inclusion in your book？ What was your decision-making process citing McEnany， but not Psaki？Where is the footnote on page 185 （"greatest employment "Operate from the reality that people are often wrong--even scientists--and you will naturally and consistently be asking questions （174-175）。Following the author's advice， I have a few questions to ask him:Would you have written this book if Donald Trump had not been elected President？How did you select the presidential quotes/actions anecdotes for inclusion in your book？ What was your decision-making process citing McEnany， but not Psaki？Where is the footnote on page 185 （"greatest employment rate in history"）？Was there a reason you did not include "actress" and anti-vaxxer Jennie McCarthy during your discussion of autism？Since so many FB users employ BS in their profiles， is there a reason you excluded social media from your discussion？This is not a light "summer" read （many examples of scientific studies）， but still an interesting one。I would have rated the book higher if the author had presented a more balanced example of Republican/Democrat BS。 。。。more

Ryan Boissonneault ，

If， like most people， you think you are immune to bullshit， consider the case of Stephen Greenspan， the clinical professor of psychiatry specializing in social incompetence and gullibility that fell for one of the largest financial scams in history by investing in Bernie Madoff’s long-running Ponzi scheme。 Greenspan published nearly 100 scientific papers and wrote an influential book titled The Annals of Gullibility， yet in the end， he proved to be just as susceptible to bullshit as the rest of If， like most people， you think you are immune to bullshit， consider the case of Stephen Greenspan， the clinical professor of psychiatry specializing in social incompetence and gullibility that fell for one of the largest financial scams in history by investing in Bernie Madoff’s long-running Ponzi scheme。 Greenspan published nearly 100 scientific papers and wrote an influential book titled The Annals of Gullibility， yet in the end， he proved to be just as susceptible to bullshit as the rest of us。 And so we have lesson number one: you probably need to read this book。 While we’re not all equally susceptible to bullshit—or， as Petrocelli would say， we’re not equally “bullible”—we all have blind spots and could stand to benefit from a refresher on the tools and techniques of bullshit detection。 You’ll learn the psychology of bullshit， the difference between bullshit and lying， why people bullshit and are susceptible to bullshit， the social costs of bullshit， and how to develop your skills as a bullshit detector。 Bullshit， of course， is not the same as lying。 Whereas the liar knows the truth and claims the opposite， the bullshitter not only doesn’t know the truth， but also doesn’t particularly care。 This general disregard for truth and the truth-seeking process is the trademark of the bullshitter， who will confidently proclaim knowledge on topics they know little to nothing about。 While we generally treat lying as the greater social offense， bullshitting can in fact create greater social damage， not only by spreading misinformation， but by establishing cultural norms of superficial thinking and indifference to evidence。In other words， bullshit is no joke。 Petrocelli shows the reader how bullshit killed 36 million Chinese citizens during the Great Leap Forward， deceives parents into thinking their autistic children can communicate with them through “facilitated communication，” and harms and kills millions of people each year by promoting alternative medicines and anti-vaccination campaigns。 Similar mishandlings of COVID-19 based on bullshit theories with no scientific backing have likewise killed droves of people。 That’s why I don’t think it’s an exaggeration when Petrocelli claims that calling people on their bullshit—and demanding that we all adhere to better standards of thinking and evidence—is perhaps the most important social issue of our time。 You may wonder， though， if the book can really make any kind of difference。 If Petrocelli is right to claim that bullshitters are indifferent to truth and evidence， then what is a book about better thinking based on truth and evidence actually supposed to accomplish？ This is a fair point， but remember that we are all susceptible to bullshit， even those of us who are not indifferent to truth and evidence。 There are also those of us who believe that “everyone is entitled to their opinion” and therefore fail to call out harmful bullshit when we should， creating the cultural norms that allow bullshitters to flourish。 But bullshitters are only as effective as their victims are gullible or unwilling to speak up。 As we all develop our skills in bullshit detection—and raise our collective standards of critical thinking—we can create a world where bullshitters have far less sway than they currently do。 。。。more

Patricia ，

This subject matter is much deeper than I had expected。 It is not my preferred genre to read， but it is worth reading since we have an abundance of misinformation in today's world。 The author is a college professor who has devoted a substantial amount of time to this study。 I did not fully grasp everything that he said because， frankly， I tried to absorb too much too quickly。 I would probably do better if I were to take one of his classes and learn everything gradually。 Still， the author succeed This subject matter is much deeper than I had expected。 It is not my preferred genre to read， but it is worth reading since we have an abundance of misinformation in today's world。 The author is a college professor who has devoted a substantial amount of time to this study。 I did not fully grasp everything that he said because， frankly， I tried to absorb too much too quickly。 I would probably do better if I were to take one of his classes and learn everything gradually。 Still， the author succeeded in convincing me that I have been duped much more than I had ever realized。 I will endeavor to continue learning and questioning my perceptions。 。。。more

Kate Grace ，

I appreciate this book as a stretch for thinking！ My favorite parts help with application & strategies， including critical thinking questions to ask。 An interesting read， especially going into the 2021-2022 school year。 The book just swings a little too widely in its tone for me。 Thanks to John V。 Petrocelli， St。 Martin’s Press & Goodreads Giveaways for my copy。

Chris Boutté ，

I have no clue how I didn’t hear about this book or the work of John V。 Petrocelli。 This book is fantastic， and I binged it within a day of it being launched。 There are a lot of books out there about being a better thinker and decision-maker， and I’ve read a ton of them。 I can honestly say that this book stands out for a wide range of reasons， and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves。 The author is a social psychologist and researcher， and there are a ton of studies in this book that I had I have no clue how I didn’t hear about this book or the work of John V。 Petrocelli。 This book is fantastic， and I binged it within a day of it being launched。 There are a lot of books out there about being a better thinker and decision-maker， and I’ve read a ton of them。 I can honestly say that this book stands out for a wide range of reasons， and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves。 The author is a social psychologist and researcher， and there are a ton of studies in this book that I hadn’t heard of as well as studies that John and his team have done。 In this book， you’ll learn what bullshit is， why people do it， and how to spot it。 I mainly enjoy these books to remind myself of the tools needed to be skeptical of misinformation， but John covered way more than that。 By the time you finish the book， you’ll know how to spot bullshit whether you’re reading or watching the news， buying a used car， or just talking to a friend。 Also， I listened to the audiobook version of this， and the narrator was perfect for the book。 I usually don’t pay much attention to narrators of non-fiction， but as an audio listener， I really enjoyed this one。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0