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213 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
March 14, 2018
According to this book, none of the following is really true.
I saw this book in Waterstones for £7.99 and I liked it, but I thought to myself, this is quite expensive considering I normally pay £0.50 for a book. So I checked online and found out that a new copy is only 200 Rupees in India, which is about £2.00 so I dropped a message to my wife, who was visiting India at the time, asking her to pick me up a copy. I had it in my hand by the 17th November and it still looked exciting so I started reading it on the 19th and I was so gripped by it that I finished it by the 22nd. And yeah, I know you have no interest in this and quite probably have stopped reading by now, but that’s ok too.
The reason that none of the preceding is true is that we do not do things for the reasons postulated by our conscious minds. In fact – it is our unconscious processes that dictate everything we do, and the only reason we have a conscious mind is so that we can see ourselves the way that other people see us, so that we can predict how they will react to us.
We can't actually see what's going on in the unconscious - the part of us that's doing the real lifting and shifting; the best we can do is to guess, after the fact, why we have done something. So that is why none of my explanation of why I got this book is true – it’s just my conscious mind’s best guess, based on the evidence I have.
The reason that we have conscious minds at all is just so that we can interact with other people. It enables us to guess how we are thinking so that we can guess what they are thinking about us.
It’s a tad more complex than this, but not much. Basically we need to be social animals more than we need to know how our own minds work and that’s why we never developed the facility to really know ourselves.
Oh, and most of the book gives the experimental evidence for this hypothesis.
That said, I’ll now drop into a post-philosophical fugue and disappear up my own mental back-passage.
I saw this book in Waterstones for £7.99 and I liked it, but I thought to myself, this is quite expensive considering I normally pay £0.50 for a book. So I checked online and found out that a new copy is only 200 Rupees in India, which is about £2.00 so I dropped a message to my wife, who was visiting India at the time, asking her to pick me up a copy. I had it in my hand by the 17th November and it still looked exciting so I started reading it on the 19th and I was so gripped by it that I finished it by the 22nd. And yeah, I know you have no interest in this and quite probably have stopped reading by now, but that’s ok too.
The reason that none of the preceding is true is that we do not do things for the reasons postulated by our conscious minds. In fact – it is our unconscious processes that dictate everything we do, and the only reason we have a conscious mind is so that we can see ourselves the way that other people see us, so that we can predict how they will react to us.
We can't actually see what's going on in the unconscious - the part of us that's doing the real lifting and shifting; the best we can do is to guess, after the fact, why we have done something. So that is why none of my explanation of why I got this book is true – it’s just my conscious mind’s best guess, based on the evidence I have.
The reason that we have conscious minds at all is just so that we can interact with other people. It enables us to guess how we are thinking so that we can guess what they are thinking about us.
It’s a tad more complex than this, but not much. Basically we need to be social animals more than we need to know how our own minds work and that’s why we never developed the facility to really know ourselves.
Oh, and most of the book gives the experimental evidence for this hypothesis.
That said, I’ll now drop into a post-philosophical fugue and disappear up my own mental back-passage.
February 26, 2018
Probably the worst book I've ever read. Sorry, author.
This book just gives you a bunch of experiments, but nothing that can improve your quality of life.
This book just gives you a bunch of experiments, but nothing that can improve your quality of life.
August 15, 2018
This book definitely did not get the recognition it deserves.
It boggles your mind, well, because it's ABOUT the mind. This is Human Psychology and Human Behavior Analysis at its (one of the most) accessible and witty best. I was hooked to this short book (200 pages, written like 2-page chapters) from the very first paragraph.
The writing style in itself is quite appealing - you're not bombarded with facts or studies. The author only gives you enough to become educated without getting bored.
Recommended for anyone who's looking to learn more about who we are, why we do what we do, and some quirky cheats to manipulate the system that's been manipulating us! It is also quite convincing in explaining the difference between the conscious and unconscious mind. A LOT to get out of such a small book, truly!
The one thing I liked less was the authors obvious bias and distate for religion or faith in higher powers. Nevertheless, this book isn't about that, and other than a few pages, he keeps his opinion to himself on that, haha.
4.5 out of 5 for me, this one.
It boggles your mind, well, because it's ABOUT the mind. This is Human Psychology and Human Behavior Analysis at its (one of the most) accessible and witty best. I was hooked to this short book (200 pages, written like 2-page chapters) from the very first paragraph.
The writing style in itself is quite appealing - you're not bombarded with facts or studies. The author only gives you enough to become educated without getting bored.
Recommended for anyone who's looking to learn more about who we are, why we do what we do, and some quirky cheats to manipulate the system that's been manipulating us! It is also quite convincing in explaining the difference between the conscious and unconscious mind. A LOT to get out of such a small book, truly!
The one thing I liked less was the authors obvious bias and distate for religion or faith in higher powers. Nevertheless, this book isn't about that, and other than a few pages, he keeps his opinion to himself on that, haha.
4.5 out of 5 for me, this one.
May 15, 2022
The start of the book feels like unconnected parts which are telling us various things. Eventually you realise it’s all a conclusion which are based on various psychological experiments and experiences.
Then the book unravels into various examples where the subconscious brain takes the upper hand and the conscious mind is the spectator.
There are sections of the book where lot of things go over our heads and needs a few re-reads. But all in a all this is a book which goes into the bookshelf for re reading.
Then the book unravels into various examples where the subconscious brain takes the upper hand and the conscious mind is the spectator.
There are sections of the book where lot of things go over our heads and needs a few re-reads. But all in a all this is a book which goes into the bookshelf for re reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2022
Моя реакція на цю книгу могла б бути дещо кращою, якби синопсис не породжував би марних сподівань щодо її вмісту.
Так, автор дає нам багато цікавої інформації про те, як працює наш мозок, як працює психологія, нейрономіка, соціальні зв'язки та навіть людська підсвідомість. Частина цієї інформації навіть наштовхує на певні цікаві роздуми, на спроби розібратися в темі, або на пошуки додаткових джерел інформації.
Якби я хотів читати блог на дану тему, я б все-таки читав блог. Але я обрав читати саме книгу, і жаль, що книги під обкладинкою не знайшов. Добірка есе, чи тих самих дописів у блог - саме так виглядає "Не бери в голову" після прочитання.
На тебе виливають силу-силенну цікавої, але абсолютно розрізненої інформації про те, як працює, маЄ працювати, або маВ би працювати твій мозок у тих чи інших обставинах, але ця інформація не підпорядкована хоча б якомусь мінімальному наративу.
Якби на обкладинці від самого початку було б написано не "книга", а "автореферат наукової роботи автора" - оцінка могла б бути трохи вищою.
Так, автор дає нам багато цікавої інформації про те, як працює наш мозок, як працює психологія, нейрономіка, соціальні зв'язки та навіть людська підсвідомість. Частина цієї інформації навіть наштовхує на певні цікаві роздуми, на спроби розібратися в темі, або на пошуки додаткових джерел інформації.
Якби я хотів читати блог на дану тему, я б все-таки читав блог. Але я обрав читати саме книгу, і жаль, що книги під обкладинкою не знайшов. Добірка есе, чи тих самих дописів у блог - саме так виглядає "Не бери в голову" після прочитання.
На тебе виливають силу-силенну цікавої, але абсолютно розрізненої інформації про те, як працює, маЄ працювати, або маВ би працювати твій мозок у тих чи інших обставинах, але ця інформація не підпорядкована хоча б якомусь мінімальному наративу.
Якби на обкладинці від самого початку було б написано не "книга", а "автореферат наукової роботи автора" - оцінка могла б бути трохи вищою.
January 20, 2016
That I read two books on New Year's Eve is not something of which I'm particularly proud, because this points to a lack of social engagement which would likely have been equally if not more pleasant. Regardless, I also do not regret doing this.
Chris Paley is an interesting and very respectable author; he decided to quit his banking job at Barclays to follow his passion of becoming a social psychologist. May I one day have the courage to drop everything and try my hand at food criticism and culinary anthropology.
At times I was delighted with this book, at times frustrated. It is quite apparent that Paley tries to distill the essence of research into the simplest, most understandable terms - the key word is tries and it's a very particular kind of trying. You may think of a brilliant scientist who tries to express a complex idea simply but ultimately ends up giving an a complex explanation. In comparison, Paley has a tendency to take Occam's Razor and cut a little too deeply, thereby eradicating part of the necessary complexity which gives ideas their full color.
There are two other weaknesses:
1. Some of the vignettes are pure conjecture on Paley's part, for example: "Art and philosophy are how we think about things that haven't yet become a science" and "Great novelists attempt to unveil the human mystery, but really they just examine the pattern on the veil." Although he provides some reasonable arguments to back these claims, he is without a doubt guilty of the faulty generalization fallacy - a theme which extends throughout.
2. Paley's writing style is unnecessarily terse and can, at times, definitely appear condescending to the American reader. If you like British humo(u)r, you might appreciate more of it.
Nevertheless, even as a longtime psychology buff I was not familiar with around 20% of the studies/themes presented here, some of which are actually practical. Having the familiar themes reinforced never hurts either.
Chris Paley is an interesting and very respectable author; he decided to quit his banking job at Barclays to follow his passion of becoming a social psychologist. May I one day have the courage to drop everything and try my hand at food criticism and culinary anthropology.
At times I was delighted with this book, at times frustrated. It is quite apparent that Paley tries to distill the essence of research into the simplest, most understandable terms - the key word is tries and it's a very particular kind of trying. You may think of a brilliant scientist who tries to express a complex idea simply but ultimately ends up giving an a complex explanation. In comparison, Paley has a tendency to take Occam's Razor and cut a little too deeply, thereby eradicating part of the necessary complexity which gives ideas their full color.
There are two other weaknesses:
1. Some of the vignettes are pure conjecture on Paley's part, for example: "Art and philosophy are how we think about things that haven't yet become a science" and "Great novelists attempt to unveil the human mystery, but really they just examine the pattern on the veil." Although he provides some reasonable arguments to back these claims, he is without a doubt guilty of the faulty generalization fallacy - a theme which extends throughout.
2. Paley's writing style is unnecessarily terse and can, at times, definitely appear condescending to the American reader. If you like British humo(u)r, you might appreciate more of it.
Nevertheless, even as a longtime psychology buff I was not familiar with around 20% of the studies/themes presented here, some of which are actually practical. Having the familiar themes reinforced never hurts either.
July 20, 2014
I received an ARC of this via Bookbridgr. I wasn't sure what level it would be pitched at, but as a general rule, all things to do with psychology and the weird ways our brains work interest me. It turned out that this book was probably below the level I'm reading at when it comes to psychology, which is more Steven Pinker, Jonathan Haidt, Paul Bloom, etc: because I rate my personal enjoyment of a book, that's definitely knocked down my rating. But that's no real comment on the content, which is interesting; just a lot of it, I happened to know already.
However, if you're looking for a book with a lot of interesting facts, explained in an accessible manner, then Unthink may well be for you. It's presented in a very easy to read format, with little chunks rarely more than two or three pages long, each with a descriptive chapter title. Despite the simple presentation, there is also a wealth of notes in the back which go into more detail, point to sources, etc.
However, if you're looking for a book with a lot of interesting facts, explained in an accessible manner, then Unthink may well be for you. It's presented in a very easy to read format, with little chunks rarely more than two or three pages long, each with a descriptive chapter title. Despite the simple presentation, there is also a wealth of notes in the back which go into more detail, point to sources, etc.
November 1, 2017
the book starts off well creating lot of inquisitiveness into the subject it touches. the examples makes you relate to reality very closely. the consciousness is defined well that how it influences the decisions.
however later part of the book gets little boring, and i would say that the book is not concluded well.
however later part of the book gets little boring, and i would say that the book is not concluded well.
July 17, 2023
I don't really understand the purpose of the book
October 10, 2014
This book provides a lot of food for thought. Based on the data and knowledge gathered through numerous psychological experiments it offers some amazing insights about how our brain actually works - why our consciousness encompasses certain things and not the others; how the important decisions we make, seemingly based on logic and careful reasoning, are actually made by the unconscious brain, and our reasoning power is used merely to produce "excuses" to convince ourselves why we have made the decision, even to the point of using illusions and creating false memories. These revelations about the workings of are mind are a bit scary, as they make us realise how little actual control we have over what we do or even think, but they also help to understand better and offer new perspectives on the human behaviour.
The material, although involving complex science, is presented in an accessible manner. Each topic is illustrated by descriptions of actual experiments and the results that they provided.
All in all, a book presenting some very interesting, stimulating and thought-provoking discoveries in the science of human brain adapted to a non-specialist reader.
The material, although involving complex science, is presented in an accessible manner. Each topic is illustrated by descriptions of actual experiments and the results that they provided.
All in all, a book presenting some very interesting, stimulating and thought-provoking discoveries in the science of human brain adapted to a non-specialist reader.
November 9, 2014
The synopsis of the book was catching, as is with any other book. I started reading this book with interest but just then i realized that I was on an un-ending loop. The more I started reading the book, the more I tried to relate it with my behaviour in that situation and I could not come to terms withe the book. I discussed the book with one of the colleague who had read it and we concluded that it is a summary of what majority of people did when the experiments were conducted with them as a subject.
My two cents would be to read this book as one with some intersting facts/experiments rather that relating it to your behaviour and you should be fine.
My two cents would be to read this book as one with some intersting facts/experiments rather that relating it to your behaviour and you should be fine.
June 5, 2016
Amazing book. Was surprised by many of the research studies cited in this book that claim that all of your decisions are made by the unconscious and the conscious mind is only there to justify the decisions made. Got me thinking!
March 6, 2022
This book definitely did not get the recognition it deserves.
It boggles your mind, well, because it's ABOUT the mind. This is Human Psychology and Human Behavior Analysis at its (one of the most) accessible and witty best. I was hooked to this short book (200 pages, written like 2-page chapters) from the very first paragraph.
Your life is dominated by your unconscious mind: by thoughts you're unaware of and movements you don't realise you are making. Words, colours, mannerisms and other cues you don't realise are affecting you, change what you think. The confidence you have in your ability to reason and to consciously choose what to do is caused by a series of illusions that scientists are only just beginning to understand. The discovery of these illusions will change the way we see ourselves more than the discoveries of Darwin .
Unthink explores the unconscious decisions we make, and covers a variety of topics, ranging from how we choose politicians and romantic partners to more abstract subjects such as whether we can consciously decide to move our fingers.
The writing style in itself is quite appealing - you're not bombarded with facts or studies. The author only gives you enough to become educated without getting bored.
Chris Paley shows us how we can understand ourselves and others better, by having a greater understanding of the way that the unconscious mind has an impact of the way we live our lives.
Recommended for anyone who's looking to learn more about who we are, why we do what we do, and some quirky cheats to manipulate the system that's been manipulating us! It is also quite convincing in explaining the difference between the conscious and unconscious mind. A LOT to get out of such a small book, truly!
It boggles your mind, well, because it's ABOUT the mind. This is Human Psychology and Human Behavior Analysis at its (one of the most) accessible and witty best. I was hooked to this short book (200 pages, written like 2-page chapters) from the very first paragraph.
Your life is dominated by your unconscious mind: by thoughts you're unaware of and movements you don't realise you are making. Words, colours, mannerisms and other cues you don't realise are affecting you, change what you think. The confidence you have in your ability to reason and to consciously choose what to do is caused by a series of illusions that scientists are only just beginning to understand. The discovery of these illusions will change the way we see ourselves more than the discoveries of Darwin .
Unthink explores the unconscious decisions we make, and covers a variety of topics, ranging from how we choose politicians and romantic partners to more abstract subjects such as whether we can consciously decide to move our fingers.
The writing style in itself is quite appealing - you're not bombarded with facts or studies. The author only gives you enough to become educated without getting bored.
Chris Paley shows us how we can understand ourselves and others better, by having a greater understanding of the way that the unconscious mind has an impact of the way we live our lives.
Recommended for anyone who's looking to learn more about who we are, why we do what we do, and some quirky cheats to manipulate the system that's been manipulating us! It is also quite convincing in explaining the difference between the conscious and unconscious mind. A LOT to get out of such a small book, truly!
April 20, 2020
На аннотацию тут не стоит обращать внимания ещё больше, чем обычно. А вот заголовку верить можно. Не думаю, что эта книга действительно сможет чему-то научить — в целом это перечисление ста фактов. Где-то текст не раскрывает заголовок, где-то есть интересные факты (без инструкции о том, как применять их на практике). Тон меняется: первая половина написана очень просто и понятно (забавно смотреть за тем, как, рассуждая о подсознании, автор старательно избегает слов «психика» и «психология»), следующая за ней четверть резко углубляется в концепции модели сознания, последняя четверть сбавляет обороты, предлагая (наконец) пару практических советов. Что хорошо, даже в «сложных» главах «сложных» слов не так уж и много. Что было для меня плохо — читать было скучно. Может, за счёт ровного языка или из-за скачков с темы на тему, но текст совершенно не показался увлекательным, дочитывала больше по инерции.
А Дарси из «Гордости и предубеждения» звали Фицуильямом.
А Дарси из «Гордости и предубеждения» звали Фицуильямом.
September 14, 2018
What's mind got to do with it? Mind is nothing but a second-hand emotion.
“If the book we’re reading doesn’t wake us up with a blow on the head, what are we reading it for?” - Franz Kafka
Why indeed should we so waste our time? Just read Unthink and get a solid whack, one that turns out all the silly and wrong assumptions about what a mind is, and why we have one.
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to know why we think. Almost every page had me going 'wow' and 'really??' and I read the book with a silly grin on my face most of the time. Read it. You'll never think of your mind the same way again. Read it. Leave that silly whatever-else-you-were-planning-on-reading and do yourself some good in 2015 (or any other year; that's when I read it).
“If the book we’re reading doesn’t wake us up with a blow on the head, what are we reading it for?” - Franz Kafka
Why indeed should we so waste our time? Just read Unthink and get a solid whack, one that turns out all the silly and wrong assumptions about what a mind is, and why we have one.
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to know why we think. Almost every page had me going 'wow' and 'really??' and I read the book with a silly grin on my face most of the time. Read it. You'll never think of your mind the same way again. Read it. Leave that silly whatever-else-you-were-planning-on-reading and do yourself some good in 2015 (or any other year; that's when I read it).
June 15, 2020
Interesting, but less scientific than I hoped. It is a succession of very brief examples of experiments - usually 1 to 2 pages - and then concludes on their implications. Right at the end, the author dug a little deeper. However, for me it scratched the surface and was not quite what I was after. There were hardly any diagrams or illustrations to cut through the repetitive format and most examples felt vague or somewhat unfounded - despite the fact sources are cited at the end. Overall, I thought the ideas put forward for discussion/thought were valid but found the delivery very pessimistic, therefore not as persuasive. Then again, the author is entitled to that opinion and at least they were upfront.
June 21, 2017
Personal review - the first two and the last section are fun to read. the rest only describes the inner conflict of the author regarding consciousness and unconsciousness which can, at times, be tough to follow at times, especially for someone who has little or no knowledge about the technical terms or maybe short attention span.
All in all, the book was kind of engaging in most part. It does come with so called "unconventional" ideas which are backed with certain researches.
Maybe I'll reread it in future (a decade or so later) and see if I can understand more of it or not.
All in all, the book was kind of engaging in most part. It does come with so called "unconventional" ideas which are backed with certain researches.
Maybe I'll reread it in future (a decade or so later) and see if I can understand more of it or not.
January 11, 2023
'Ben' kimim? Kitabı son bölümüne kadar aklımda bu soruyla okudum. Bildiklerinizi, bildiğinizi sandığınız şeyleri nereden ve nasıl biliyorsunuz? İradecisi olduğumuzu sandığımız hayatımızın gerçek patronuyla tanışma fırsatını bu kitap sayesinde buldum. Hoşuma gitmeyen pek çok gerçekle karşılaştım. Sinirden güldüğüm bölümler vardı. Ama en önemlisi, son bölümde yazar kitabın başından bu yana anlattıklarını harika bir noktaya getirerek özetliyor ve sizi "Bu kitabı okumadan önceki ben vs Okuduktan sonraki ben" şeklinde bir yol ayrımına sürüklüyor. Müthiş bir iş çıkarmışsınız #ChrisPaley
November 17, 2018
This book is one of a kind, you'll be astonished in the beginning by the facts that the author had presented and the entire book is completely relying on experimented data (with reference) & logical reasoning. Although, I expected more tricks and ways on how to read the body language and manipulate people using the body language.
August 8, 2019
Really interesting book - convincingly argues that our unconscious makes decisions based on numerous factors that we are not consciously aware of, which our conscious brain then tries to rationalise and explain. Easy-to-read format, with each mini-hypothesis presented and evidenced by scientific studies in a couple of pages.
January 9, 2021
"He's treading water. Distracting us while he digests a complicated idea that has come to him, planning his next move.
'But you came anyway, and because of that generosity, because you came out en masse to party with me, I have spontaneously decided to give you a little sovenir tonight, something from the heart. That's the kind of guy I am. Generosity is my middle name. Dov Giving Greenstein, that's what it'll say on my tombstone. And underneath that: "Here lies great potential.""
Imagine being invited to a slapstick comical performance by a friend you knew from childhood, only to find him crumbling like a dry autumn leaf under a passerby's shoe. This Man Booker International Prize winner from 2017 is a skinny dip into the ups and downs of a man who could be any of us. No wonder David Grossman's books have been translated into 36 languages- that's how engaging his writing his.
'But you came anyway, and because of that generosity, because you came out en masse to party with me, I have spontaneously decided to give you a little sovenir tonight, something from the heart. That's the kind of guy I am. Generosity is my middle name. Dov Giving Greenstein, that's what it'll say on my tombstone. And underneath that: "Here lies great potential.""
Imagine being invited to a slapstick comical performance by a friend you knew from childhood, only to find him crumbling like a dry autumn leaf under a passerby's shoe. This Man Booker International Prize winner from 2017 is a skinny dip into the ups and downs of a man who could be any of us. No wonder David Grossman's books have been translated into 36 languages- that's how engaging his writing his.
January 11, 2021
Written in the style of Rolf Dobelli's 'Art of Thinking Clearly' this book does have a few nuggets of wisdom but eventually fall below expectations as it deals a lot more with studies on consciousness which are all rather weak themselves.
Check my notes here: https://twitter.com/navneetdesigns/st...
Check my notes here: https://twitter.com/navneetdesigns/st...
September 25, 2021
"Knowing how an optical illusion works doesn't stop you from being tricked by it"
This is an easy-to-follow guide to the not-so-apparent functioning of our conscious brain. I'd suggest it to anyone who might be interested in improving their mental strength, psychology, or just understanding themselves better.
This is an easy-to-follow guide to the not-so-apparent functioning of our conscious brain. I'd suggest it to anyone who might be interested in improving their mental strength, psychology, or just understanding themselves better.
June 16, 2019
Knowledgeable but slow paced
The content of the book takes you through the power of subconsciousness and how it is much more than what we think. Somewhere in the middle, the book becomes repetitive and slow but catches up the pace towards the end.
The content of the book takes you through the power of subconsciousness and how it is much more than what we think. Somewhere in the middle, the book becomes repetitive and slow but catches up the pace towards the end.
July 7, 2020
Would give this a 3.5 tbh. Lot's of interesting facts delivered well, but got a bit boring later on imo. I dropped it for a few months before eventually coming back to finish it. Might add on more to this review later.
September 30, 2020
I couldn't get enough of this book , so I plan to re-read it. The writing style of the author is one of my favorites, byte sized capsules of studies and take aways. The content of the book resonates with me. More after I re-read
July 19, 2024
The first half of the book was great and offered some insights on applying consciousness to human behaviour. However, the second half lost its readability and engagement. It felt like reading unstructured blocks of psychology and philosophy articles, which made it a bit of a headache :(
May 22, 2017
Some eye-openers here. And a lot of additional material given in the back. I felt though, that I could skip over 4 of every 5 pages and still understand 90% of it.
August 22, 2017
it's a book that can open your eyes and your mind to new perspectives if you're willing to take the plunge.
December 11, 2017
You are not what you think you are, you are what you think people think you are!
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