In a delicious blend of cultural criticism and personal narrative that explores our cognitive biases and the power\, disadvantages\, and highlights of magical thinking\, Amanda Montell now t urns her erudite eye to the inner workings of the human mind and its biase s in her most personal and electrifying work yet.
\n&ldquo\;Magical thinking&rdquo\; can be broadly defined as the belief that one&rsquo\;s in ternal thoughts can affect unrelated events in the external world: think o f the conviction that one can manifest their way out of poverty\, stave of f cancer with positive vibes\, thwart the apocalypse by learning to can th eir own peaches\, or transform an unhealthy relationship to a glorious one with loyalty alone. In all its forms\, magical thinking works in service of restoring agency amid chaos\, but in \;The Age of Magical Overthinking< /em>\, Montell argues that in the modern information age\, our brain&r squo\;s coping mechanisms have been overloaded\, and our irrationality tur ned up to an eleven.
\nIn a series of razor sharp\, deeply funny cha pters\, Montell delves into a cornucopia of the cognitive biases that run rampant in our brains\, from how the &ldquo\;halo effect&rdquo\; cultivate s worship (and hatred) of larger-than-life celebrities\, to how the &ldquo \;sunk cost fallacy&rdquo\; can keep us in detrimental relationships long after we&rsquo\;ve realized they&rsquo\;re not serving us. As she illumina tes these concepts with her signature brilliance and wit\, Montell&rsquo\; s prevailing message is one of hope\, empathy\, and ultimately forgiveness for our anxiety-addled human selves. If you have all but lost faith in ou r ability to reason\, Montell aims to make some sense of the senseless. To crack open a window in our minds\, and let a warm breeze in. To help quie t the cacophony for a while\, or even hear a melody in it. \;
\nDon't be irrational\, register now for a conversation you just don&rsquo\; t want to miss! \;
\nAbout the Author: \;\n
Amanda Montell is a writer and linguist from Baltimore. She is the author of the acclaimed books \;Wordslut\, \;Cultish< /em>\, and \;The Age of Magical Overthinking. Along with host ing the podcast \;Sounds Like a Cult\, her writing has also appeared i n \;The New York Times\, \;Marie Claire\, \;Cosmopolitan\, and more. She holds a degree in linguistics from NYU and lives in Los Angeles with her partner\, plants\, and pets. Find her on Instagram @Amanda_Monte ll.
\nDisclaimer: \;
\nThe views expresse d by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not i mply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommen dation by The Indianapolis Public Library.
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