Audiobook7 hours
The Uses of Delusion: Why It's Not Always Rational to Be Rational
Written by Stuart Vyse
Narrated by Joel Richards
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
()
About this audiobook
Although reason and rationality are our friends in almost all contexts, in some cases people are better off putting reason aside. In a number of very important situations, we benefit by not seeing the world as it is, and by not behaving like logic-driven machines.
The Uses of Delusion is about aspects of human nature that are not altogether rational but, nonetheless, help us achieve our social and personal goals. Psychologist Stuart Vyse presents a lively, accessible exploration of the psychological concepts behind "useful delusions," fleshing out how delusional thinking may play a role in love and relationships, illness and loss, and personality and behavior. Along the way Vyse draws on the work of William James, Daniel Kahneman, and Joan Didion-who wrote about her compelling belief that her husband, though deceased, would soon return to her.
Throughout, Vyse strives to answer the question: why would some of our most illogical beliefs be as helpful as they are? The concluding chapter offers an explanation grounded in natural selection-the ability to fool ourselves, Vyse argues, has actually helped us to survive. In the last section of The Uses of Delusion, Vyse offers suggestions for determining when reason should rule and when intuition and emotion should be allowed to take over.
The Uses of Delusion is about aspects of human nature that are not altogether rational but, nonetheless, help us achieve our social and personal goals. Psychologist Stuart Vyse presents a lively, accessible exploration of the psychological concepts behind "useful delusions," fleshing out how delusional thinking may play a role in love and relationships, illness and loss, and personality and behavior. Along the way Vyse draws on the work of William James, Daniel Kahneman, and Joan Didion-who wrote about her compelling belief that her husband, though deceased, would soon return to her.
Throughout, Vyse strives to answer the question: why would some of our most illogical beliefs be as helpful as they are? The concluding chapter offers an explanation grounded in natural selection-the ability to fool ourselves, Vyse argues, has actually helped us to survive. In the last section of The Uses of Delusion, Vyse offers suggestions for determining when reason should rule and when intuition and emotion should be allowed to take over.
More audiobooks from Stuart Vyse
Critical Thinking: How to Effectively Reason, Understand Irrationality, and Make Better Decisions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Superstition: A Very Short Introduction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Uses of Delusion
Related audiobooks
Mindwise: Why We Misunderstand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Philosophy 101: How to Think Big Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Think: Why You Should Question Everything Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Book About Love Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Out of My Skull: The Psychology of Boredom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Touching a Nerve: The Self As Brain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Thinking: What You Need to Know to Be Smarter, Safer, Wealthier, And Wiser Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mind, Brain, Behavior: An Audio Course on Consciousness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rethinking Consciousness: A Scientific Theory of Subjective Experience Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why Grow Up?: Subversive Thoughts for an Infantile Age Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kinds of Minds: Toward an Understanding of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not Born Yesterday: The Science of Who We Trust and What We Believe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Folly of Fools: The Logic of Deceit and Self-Deception in Human Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Passion for Ignorance: What We Choose Not to Know and Why Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mindwandering: How Your Constant Mental Drift Can Improve Your Mood and Boost Your Creativity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Switch Craft: The Hidden Power of Mental Agility Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Left Brain Speaks and the Right Brain Laughs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Homo Mysterious: Evolutionary Puzzles of Human Nature Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5In Defense of Troublemakers: The Power of Dissent in Life and Business Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Future of Feeling: Building Empathy in a Tech-Obsessed World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conformity: The Power of Social Influences Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Why Argument Matters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Psychology For You
The 48 Laws of Power Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How To Win Friends And Influence People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Land of Delusion: Out on the edge with the crackpots and conspiracy-mongers remaking our shared reality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You’re Not the Only One F*cking Up: Breaking the Endless Cycle of Dating Mistakes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It Starts with Self-Compassion: A Practical Road Map Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Banish Your Inner Critic: Silence the Voice of Self-Doubt to Unleash Your Creativity and Do Your Best Work Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Games People Play: The Basic Handbook of Transactional Analysis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Do the Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from Your Past, and Create Your Self Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writing into the Wound: Understanding trauma, truth, and language Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Seduction: An Indispensible Primer on the Ultimate Form of Power Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed For You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Memory Craft: Improve Your Memory with the Most Powerful Methods in History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sociopath: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Create: Tools from Seriously Talented People to Unleash Your Creative Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Uses of Delusion
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
1 rating0 reviews