The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking: How Irrationality Makes us Happy, Healthy, and Sane - Couverture souple

Hutson, Matthew

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1851689575 ISBN 13 : 9781851689576

Editeur : Oneworld Publications, 2013

Synopsis

Everyone - even the most jaded and sceptical - believes in 'magic', in the form of luck, mind over matter, the power of similarities, jinxes, and destiny. In this wonderful exploration of psychology, Matthew Hutson takes us on a fascinating tour of magical thinking in everyday life, revealing the healing power of John Lennon's piano; the reason gamblers kiss their tickets; and why admitting you have no free will staves off addiction.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse :

“A remarkably creative synthesis of the science behind magical thinking, threaded through with a very personal narrative that engaged the reader.” - BBC Focus, five stars

“An eloquent argument for the essential role magical thinking plays in making human life more comprehensible and less scary.” - The Sunday Times

“In this wickedly funny and deeply clever book, Matthew Hutson makes a radical claim: All of us, whether we accept it or not, believe in magic. Without these intuitions, he says, we would hardly be human. Through vivid examples and cutting-edge science, Hutson presents a provocative new theory of how we make sense of the world.”

--Paul Bloom, Professor of Psychology, Yale University, and author of How Pleasure Works

“This book about thinking is magical. It's the perfect blend of astonishing stories, up-to-date science, awe, beauty, disgust, and humour. It's science journalism at its best: great writing and deep humanity bring out the profound relevance of psychological experiments for people who search for meaning using minds that were designed for so many other purposes.” - Jonathan Haidt, author of The Happiness Hypothesis

“This is a book that you pick up, but can't put down. Hutson, intelligently and entertainingly, gives us the best kind of book, one that gives us insight to our very core.” - Ori Brafman, co-author of Sway and Click

“Brilliant, exhilarating... Reading this book will lead you to a more reverential appreciation of human irrationality, and the science that tries to understand it.”

--Dacher Keltner, Director, Greater Good Science Center, University of California, Berkeley

“With wit and respect for both the rational and the irrational, Hutson reveals the pervasiveness of superstition and ‘magical thinking,’ even among people who consider themselves totally rational, and further makes a compelling argument that irrational beliefs are actually necessary for our mental accommodation to this strange universe we find ourselves in.” - Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams

“Matthew Hutson promises to convince the most hard-core skeptics and rationalists that they believe in magic, and he succeeds - with wit and clarity and scientific rigor.”

--Sharon Begley, author of Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain

Biographie de l'auteur :

Matthew Hutson is former News Editor at Psychology Today and has written for Wired, Discover, the New York Times Magazine, and others. This is his first book.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Oneworld Publications
• Date d'édition: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1851689575
• ISBN 13: 9781851689576
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 304