LOSERTHINK: HOW UNTRAINED BRAINS ARE RUINING AMERICA BY SCOTT ADAMS

BOOK REVIEWS BY BINOD

BINOD’S RATING: 7/10

On how not to think like a loser aka critical thinking. From the creator of Dilbert. 

Loserthink refers to the many mental habits trapping people in their own bubbles of reality. Even the smartest people can slip into loserthink's seductive grasp. 

This book will teach you how to spot and avoid it – and will give you scripts to respond when hollow arguments are being thrown against you, whether by well-intentioned friends, strangers on the internet, or political pundits. You'll also learn how to spot the underlying causes of loserthink, like the inability to get ego out of your decisions, thinking with words instead of reasons, failing to imagine alternative explanations, and making too much of coincidences. This is very common on these days of hyperactive social media, a heavily biased media, general ignorance, manipulative videos and articles, dodgy WhatsApp forwards, fake news etc.

Adams talks about some useful ways of thinking, covering how to think like a Psychologist, an Economist, an Engineer, an Artist, a Scientist and a Leader. 

Your bubble of reality doesn't have to be a prison. This book will show you how to break free--and, what's more, to be among the most perceptive and respected thinkers in every conversation.

I've read a pile of psychology, neuroscientific, and sociology books in the past few years. This takes 90% of those interesting ideas and consolidates them (plus a few fresh ideas) into one succinct and practical package. 

What I didn’t like? Americans are capable to taking self-promotion to a nauseating level and Adams unfortunately isn’t an exception. I just wish every other sentence wasn't dedicated to building Scott Adams' brand and his other books. A ton of the book reads like an advertisement for itself and its author and the frequency Adams spoke highly of himself was distracting. I mean… If I didn't think he was accomplished, I wouldn't be reading his book! Also, a bit shocking was the (gradual) discovery that this guy is actually a Trump supporter although he strenuously tries to appear politically neutral while being anything but. Also, as someone who has read a lot about irrationality and behavioral finance, some parts were boring. 

But this book is useful. It’s also a relatively quick read with high Return On Time Invested (!). The penultimate chapter is worth re-reading until the techniques described become second nature. All this makes it worth your time. I know it did for me.