“Take control of your mind or someone else will.” “It is shockingly easy to hack your mind” and the people who are doing it don’t want you to make it harder for them.
These two quotes are near the beginning and the end, respectively, of the first part of the four-part PBS show, “Hacking Your Mind.”
The show draws heavily from the work of Daniel Kahneman, who wrote Thinking Fast and Slow. Michael Lewis, the author of The Big Short and Moneyball, wrote about Kahneman and his research partner, Amos Tversky in The Undoing Project.
Kahneman and Tversky introduced the term ‘cognitive bias’ and created the field of behavioral economics which has redefined our understanding of how investment decisions are made.
Thinking Fast and Slow teaches us that we have two different thinking systems within us, one fast and mostly non-conscious, and one slow and deliberate.
The fast system is basically an autopilot that runs as much of our lives as possible. This was an evolutionary advantage because it conserved energy and provided for fast reactions in dangerous environments.
It is precisely because it is so automatic and beyond our awareness that we are vulnerable to manipulation today.
The examples of research that demonstrate various biases that we have wired into us are striking and informative. Do yourself a big favor and watch this episode, “Living on Autopilot”, just below this paragraph. I predict you’ll be surprised and will want to watch the other 3 episodes.
Amazon link to Thinking Fast and Slow: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman-ebook/dp/B00555X8OA/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3UTRHKKIA9UJD
Amazon link to The Undoing Project: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GI6S7EK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i4
Correction: Daniel Kahneman’s research partner was Amos Tversky.