The age of magical overthinking : notes on modern irrationality / Amanda Montell.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-243) and index.

Make it make sense : an intro to magical overthinking -- Are you my mother, Taylor Swift? : a note on the halo effect -- I swear I manifested this : a note on proportionality bias -- A toxic relationship is just a cult of one : a note on the sunk cost fallacy -- The shit-talking hypothesis : a note on zero-sum bias -- What it's like to die online : a note on survivorship bias -- Time to spiral : a note on the recency illusion -- The scammer within : a note on overconfidence bias -- Haters are my motivators : a note on the illusory truth effect -- Sorry I'm late, must be Mercury in retrograde : a note on confirmation bias -- Nostalgia porn : a note on declinism -- The life changing magic of becoming a mediocre crafter : a note on the IKEA effect.

"'Magical thinking' can be broadly defined as the belief that one's internal thoughts can affect unrelated events in the external world: Think of the conviction that one can manifest their way out of poverty, stave off cancer with positive vibes, thwart the apocalypse by learning to can their 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, Montell argues that in the modern information age, our brain's coping mechanisms have been overloaded, and our irrationality turned up to an eleven. Montell delves into a cornucopia of the cognitive biases that run rampant in our brains, from how the 'Halo effect' cultivates worship (and hatred) of larger than life celebrities, to how the 'Sunk cost fallacy' can keep us in detrimental relationships long after we've realized they're not serving us. As she illuminates these concepts with her signature brilliance and wit, Montell'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 our 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 quiet the cacophony for a while, or even hear a melody in it"--