In a blend of cultural criticism and perso nal narrative that explores our cognitive biases and the power\, disadvant ages\, and highlights of magical thinking\, Amanda Montell turns her eye t o the inner workings of the human mind and its biases.
\n&ldquo\;Mag ical thinking&rdquo\; can be broadly defined as the belief that one&rsquo\ ;s internal thoughts can affect unrelated events in the external world: th ink of the conviction that one can manifest their way out of poverty\, sta ve off cancer with positive vibes\, thwart the apocalypse by learning to c an their own peaches\, or transform an unhealthy relationship to a gloriou s one with loyalty alone. In all its forms\, magical thinking works in ser vice of restoring agency amid chaos\, but in \;The Age of Magical Overthinking\, Montell argues that in the modern information age\, ou r brain&rsquo\;s coping mechanisms have been overloaded\, and our irration ality turned up to an eleven.
\nIn a series of razor sharp\, deeply funny chapters\, Montell delves into a cornucopia of the cognitive biases that run rampant in our brains\, from how the &ldquo\;halo effect&rdquo\; cultivates worship (and hatred) of larger-than-life celebrities\, to how t he &ldquo\;sunk cost fallacy&rdquo\; can keep us in detrimental relationsh ips long after we&rsquo\;ve realized they&rsquo\;re not serving us. As she illuminates these concepts\, Montell&rsquo\;s prevailing message is one o f hope\, empathy\, and ultimately forgiveness for our anxiety-addled human selves. If you have all but lost faith in our ability to reason\, Montell aims to make some sense of the senseless. To crack open a window in our m inds\, and let a warm breeze in. To help quiet the cacophony for a while\, or even hear a melody in it. \;
\nAmanda Montell is a writer an d linguist from Baltimore. She is the author of the acclaimed books \; Wordslut\, \;Cultish\, and \;The Age of Magi cal Overthinking. Along with hosting the podcast \;Sounds Lik e a Cult\, her writing has also appeared in \;The New York Ti mes\, \;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.
\nhttps://neworleans.libnet.info/event/12264397 URL;VALUE=URI:https://neworleans.libnet.info/event/12264397 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR