Why Clever People Believe Stupid Things Summary

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Goldacre’s (2010) “Why Clever People Believe Stupid Things.” This article ultimately allowed me to not only understand the biases that individuals possess, but it also allowed me to better understand my own personal biases. Clever people may believe “stupid” things due to “intuition” and instinctive. All individuals encompass a unique set of opinions, sentiments, and, perceptions. This ultimately makes us biased. I truly enjoyed reading about the six main “traps”, and applying these fascinating ideas to my daily life. These ideas present how information may be evaluated poorly, and ultimately lead to misunderstanding and poor decisions. The first major idea is that we often see patterns where there are

The next idea is one of my favorites. One of my professors from my previous college would always implore and reiterate that we, as humans, will inevitably regress to the mean. Things will eventually settle down, and return to normal; nothing is permanent. It is often difficult to be mindful that everything usually settles down and returns to normal throughout time. The next idea is our bias towards positive evidence. This is very true with many people. We tend to seek out information that agrees with our beliefs and ideas of this universe. We have all done this. I tend to also seek out information that confirms my beliefs. The next main idea is our bias towards previous beliefs. I have also succumbed to this bias. I often assess the actual quality of newfound evidence and information through my existing knowledge and beliefs. I am also automatically more critical or even skeptical of information that goes against my previous ideas or beliefs. Individuals do not enjoy being proven incorrect, so we tend to all seek or trust evidence that supports our sentiments and beliefs. The next idea is having available information. Most individuals, including myself, have a tendency to have more curiosity or