Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things
Dan Ariely
Named a Best Science Book for 2023“In this thoughtful, moving, and well-written book, Dan Ariely narrates his personal and professional journey to understand the world of misbelievers and conspiracy theories, and offers insights and tips that will hopefully help all of us protect our fragile social fabric from being torn apart by disinformation and distrust. ”—Yuval Harari, bestselling author of Sapiens“Misbelief is an urgent examination of the human attraction to misinformation. This timely book can provide a crucial foundation for building a more empathetic and informed society. more
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published Harper
3.91
Rating
704
Ratings
103
Reviews
Dan Ariely
49 books 3723 followers
From Wikipedia:Dan Ariely is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University. He also holds an appointment at the MIT Media Lab where he is the head of the eRationality research group. He was formerly the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Behavioral Economics at MIT Sloan School of Management.
Dan Ariely grew up in Israel after birth in New York. In his senior year of high school, Ariely was active in Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed, an Israeli youth movement. While he was preparing a ktovet esh (fire inscription) for a traditional nighttime ceremony, the flammable materials he was mixing exploded, causing third-degree burns to over 70 percent of his body.[
Ariely recovered and went on to graduate from Tel Aviv University and received a Ph.D. and M.A. in cognitive psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Ph.D. in business from Duke University. His research focuses on discovering and measuring how people make decisions. He models the human decision making process and in particular the irrational decisions that we all make every day.
Ariely is the author of the book, Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, which was published on February 19, 2008 by HarperCollins. When asked whether reading Predictably Irrational and understanding one's irrational behaviors could make a person's life worse (such as by defeating the benefits of a placebo), Ariely responded that there could be a short term cost, but that there would also likely be longterm benefits, and that reading his book would not make a person worse off.
Community reviews
"The journey of this book began with my own experience but it quickly became about a phenomenon that affects all of us. It led me to venture into research areas that are new for me, such as personality, clinical psychology, and anthropology. The spread of conspiracy theories and the scourge of misinformation are challenges that reach beyond the realm of social science and exceed the scope of my expertise and the capacity of any single book. "Misbelief was an interesting book. I enjoy reading about mindsets and psychology, and the conspiracy theorist is a fascinating case study into the human condition. more
Dan Ariely got caught red handed making up data. It’s hard to know how many of his studies were faked, but it could be all of them. There’s very little oversight in academia. And now he’s out with a new book talking about why people believe in misinformation. You know, like the misinformation he peddles in. more
PreviewI find it strange that the title and synopsis makes it sound like he thinks most people are rational to begin with. You've literally got droves and droves of people who spend half of their day consuming mindless social media content. Who will immediately believe whatever they see on Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram or the one news channel they spend 2/3 of their free time watching. No matter how ridiculous it is. If people were all that rational to begin with, a book like this wouldn't even need to be written. more
A timely, lively, well-structured, and thoughtful exploration of the factors that drive people to become tempted by and enmeshed in conspiracy theories. Dan Ariely writes from (unfortunate) firsthand experience about the dangers of what he dubs “misbelief”; he’s personally been the subject of vicious conspiracy campaigns on social media branding him as a psychopath and murderer for his work related to COVID-19. His personal anecdotes were horrifying and made me extra-appreciative of the compassion he showed throughout the book: Ariely consistently encourages us not to ostracize and rather to build trust. Super powerful stuff. The book is structured into 4 main sections: how emotion brings potential misbelievers into the funnel, how cognitive biases strengthen our beliefs, how personality differences affect what we’re susceptible to, and how social pressures make it hard to extricate from an established community of misbelief. more
I listened to this book via Audible. Misbelief begins with Ariely recounting his experiences in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when he became a target of accusations relating to his involvement with the response by the government. It was very crazy to hear what he allegedly did according to these conspiracy theorists, and it sets the stage for the book. Ariely goes step by step in examining the so-called 'funnel of misbelief' whereby a person can go from a normal member of society to a conspiracy theorist. It's scary and fascinating and eye-opening. more
Rating: 2. 5 MehFormat: AudiobookNon-fiction November 2023This started strong but ended up being repetitive, but I still found it interesting. For a book about biases the author is too biased, that's the irony and the worst part of it. This were the most interesting parts for me:“How can you prove that your sister is not a prostitute when you don’t even have a sister. ”Hanlon’s razor. more
The best part of this book was the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. The rest if his "insights" were obvious, reductive or just plain wrong. I'd think that even if I hadn't recently read the New Yorker article about how Ariely tends to make things up. more
Ariely's book often reads like my social psych and cognitive psych textbooks, citing many of the same studies and sources. Ariely includes enough memoir elements and anecdotes from others to prevent the narrative from becoming too dry. The book is well-organized and really lays out all facets of the layered cause-and-effect we are experiencing now in attempting to understand "post-truth" America. more
We tend to ostracize and cut connections with friends and family members who have fallen down conspiracy theory rabbit holes. I think the most important part of this book is how the author explains that we need to resist this natural tendency and instead double down on those connections--extremism thrives on people without strong social nets and only sucks them in more deeply. :(. more
An excellent and "Dan-Ariely-Thorough" exploration of what has caused conspiracy theories to wildly take over the garden. Ariely leads us through the funnel of disbelief, gently guiding us toward understanding and away from judgement and its not-so-subtle companion, the eye-roll. Indeed, he challenges us to remain open and in conversation and has inspired me to try just that when next confronted with something so wildly out of the range of the plausible I'd rather just leave the room. . more
Witty and informative. If you’ve ever wondered how your normal friend/family member fell down the Qanon hole never to return to normal society, this is the book to read. . more
I love social psychology in general, but this book is particularly timely with all the misbelief surrounding COVID-19. more
It's a nice and useful read, but I couldn't help comparing this book to Ariely's previous ones, hence the rating. . more
The author has a uniquely personal interest in conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers because one day he found himself the target of their scorn, bizarre theories and even death threats. To his credit, he attempted to reach out to some, both to try to convince them he isn’t part of the Illuminati but also to try to understand why they think the way they do. It isn’t very productive. The one person who changes his mind realizing Ariely isn’t some evil cabalist is unwilling to say it to others in his cohort, because he doesn’t want to lose any prestige in their eyes. The author does an interesting job of putting together a model for how people descend into an embrace of absurd misinformation, going through the emotional, cognitive, personality and social quirks of our thinking that add up to a funnel of misbelief for some people. more
Everything you want in a book from Dan Ariely. Loved it. more
Misbelief is misunderstood. Too often, we limit how we learn about political affairs and societal challenges. We favour certain points of view as reality and push those who disagree away. We can see it in the COVID-19 pandemic and in politics. But how many of us bother to try to understand why people believe in inaccurate or incorrect truths. more
This is a book trying to explain why some people fall for conspiracy theories, mainly the ones related to the covid 19 pandemic. 320 pages describing stupid and/or ignorant, uneducated people without ever mentioning the taboo words "stupid" or "ignorant" or "uneducated". Instead, we must plow through an elegant treaty full of psy jargon and costly scientific experiments about social causes, emotional characteristics and personality traits that would explain this "phenomenon". I have no patience for this. Cut the B. more
Anyone considering purchasing or reading this book should read this New Yorker article about Dan Ariely's thoroughly documented habit of lying first: https://www. newyorker. com/magazine/20. This author has been repeatedly shown to have manipulated and outright fabricated data for his papers, including for more than one study *about lying*. While he starts this book with a sympathetic account of his experience being made a figure in right-wing, Covid-19 related conspiracy theories, and indeed there are many lies about him to be found around the internet, it remains the case that he has accumulated a record of real, credible, very hard to refute accusations of lying about important things, without regard for the impact of these lies on the public, on politics, on innocent graduate students, or on the scientific endeavor as a whole. more
Some really good stuff in here. Super different to all of his other books I’ve read which was really refreshing. I wonder how it will age given it was pretty covid-heavy, but enjoyable and insightful read . more
I've read most of Ariely's previous books (on irrationality and dishonesty from a psychological perspective), and was expecting more of the same here. However, this was much more targeted at conspiracy theories and the growing environment of mis- and dis-information, motivated by his being unwillingly dragged into the COVID-19 conspiracy tapestry. The book is interesting from an explanatory perspective--it could also be modeled from a systems dynamics perspective, with lots of reinforcing loops--but less so from a "what to do about it" perspective. But he has waaaay more patience and empathy for these folks than I think I could ever summon. (In doing a quick internet search, I also noted the various academic controversies he's been caught up in in the past few years. more
This book has left me unsatisfied, but I may have just expected too much. 'Misbelief' sits small in the shadow of 'Thinking Fast and Slow', a book written by the irreproachable Daniel Kahneman. 'Misbelief' is not the culmination of years of work and studies, rather it is Dan Ariely's best attempt to gather the accumulated knowledge of the past few decades of behavioral psychology to create a scientific basis for why people fall into conspiracy theories. He mentions many cognitive biases and references plenty of studies, but honestly I don't feel that I've learned too much of consequence. The political rise of RFK Jr. more
Dan Ariely už napsal pár zábavných knih o iracionalitě našeho myšlení, o tom, jak dokážeme sami sebe oblbnout. Ovšem tentokrát, jak pravily slogany akčních filmů, je to to osobní. Během covidu se totiž jednoho dne probudil a zjistil, že se z něj stal nepřítel číslo jedna. Že spolu s Billem Gatesem a Ilumináty vymyslel celý covid a teď se snaží, aby nošením roušek a vakcínami pozabíjel většinu občanu a ze zbytku udělal ovce ovládané pomocí magnetů v těle. Což nebylo tím, že by hrál nějakou významnou roli, spíš byl ve špatný čas na špatném místě… a navíc se, díky svým popáleninám z mládí, ideálně hodil na roli bondovského padoucha. more
Dan Ariely is a professor of psychology and behavioral economics. In his book, “Misbelief,” Ariely informs us that various individuals have denounced him for such offenses as siding with government officials who supported mask mandates during the Covid-19 pandemic. The author analyzes some of the psychological and emotional factors that foster a culture of “misbelief. ” People who embrace this culture promulgate conspiracy theories and disparage elected leaders and others with whom they disagree. Although Ariely has written lively and thought-provoking works of non-fiction in the past, this book is slow-going, jargon-filled, and repetitious. more
Controversies, may not look irrational to some…for a reason…Why. Dan very convincingly reveals why some people are more inclined towards believing misinformation, half truths, irrational extreme explanations and convoluted stories behind happenings in society or personal life. It’s emotional reasons that invites someone to enter the funnel of misbelief and social reasons that fortify the perspective at the other end. The search for devil with immoral standards, helps distressed mind to explain the present situation and put blame beyond self as the reason. This often leads to some bit of control and relief…but then over time this devil explanation becomes handy in explaining more and more things that get amiss in life. more
Author in The Lions’ DenI think the principal value of this book comes from Ariely’s willingness to validate his case against Misbelief by facing the perpetrators. Rather than just trying to destroy their malice and ignorance he chose to try to understand their positions and the pain and neediness that drove them down what he calls the Funnel of Misbelief. He takes the Reader through all the steps of their devolution down The Funnel from initial introduction through engagement and finally to commitment. He also tries to offer us tips to help us avoid following them down. If I have one concern about his approach it is that he often detours into research and experiments others have done to strengthen his case when his description has already convinced us of the validity of his point. more
An Intriguing Exploration: Dan's Masterful Balance of Rationality and Controversy. With an unwavering focus on facts, Dan fearlessly tackles contentious topics, inviting readers to form their own conclusions. His courage in delving into this Pandora's box of controversy is commendable. Through a gripping narrative, he navigates the realms of emotions, cognition, personality, and societal influences, leading us down an enthralling yet irreversible path. Seamlessly weaving dark humor with conflict resolution wisdom, Dan's book mirrors my own experiences as a scientist amidst the turbulent era of COVID. more
I found this book very informative and interesting. It explores the reasons why people may believe things that are not necessarily true and how this belief may come to form a huge part of their identity. Although much of the book focusses on people who believe the multitude of "Covid Conspiracy Theories", which makes sense given the author's own experience and the time in which the book was written, the behavioural science underlying the book applies equally to other forms of "misbelief". I particularly liked how the author made an effort to help the reader recognise signs that a loved one might be adopting a "misbelief", why they may embrace it even in the face of scorn from their friends and family, and how to help them see the world in a more balanced way. Changing our own behaviour is far more effective than trying to tell other people to change theirs, and this book suggests some practical ways in which to do this. more
I was familiar with Dan Ariely from some podcasts I listen to, but I don't think I'd actually read any of his books. I also had no idea he went through such a tough time during the pandemic due to "conspiracy theorists" becoming convinced he was connected in some way to their idea of the "Plandemic". Much of the book is more "memoir" about his dealing with this, while also giving advice on how to deal with those in our own lives that are disconnected from reality. I had just finished another, more "academic" type book on misinformation, so this treaded a lot of familiar grounds - nothing really profound or new to me here. I also have to admit that I held off on reading this due to Ariely's recent controversies concerning research credit - a worthy concern considering he writes so much about "dishonesty" and rationality - but in the end decided to just read the book on its own merit. more
This book rose out of Ariely's experiences being harassed by COVID deniers for the past couple of years. He decided to try to learn more about what drives people to embrace conspiracy theories. Ariely cites many empirical studies to illuminate what he calls a "funnel of misbelief," down which people can tumble with the help of ostracism, encouragement from fellow misbelievers, and stress from their environment. Certain personality traits also contribute to the likelihood that an individual will be susceptible to misbelief. Ariely has many sidebars in the text that try to give helpful hints about how to deal with misbelievers in our own lives. more
The book has some really good insights into how seemingly reasonable people can fall into the trap of believing in conspiracy theories. A lot of examples are based around covid, with quite a few others across the spectrum added in. It contains personal accounts engaging with these misbelievers and other relevant personal anecdotes. The scientific concepts are clearly defined, except for cognitive dissonance, and the experiments used to derive certain conclusions clearly explained. It also contains some exercises which invite the reader to test themselves on certain concepts and has sections called "hopefully helpful" which provide advice on how to engage with misbelievers and correct their way of thinking. more