You Are Now Less Dumb

You are probably a participant in and victim of "pluralistic ignorance". What is that you ask? Pluralistic ignorance is the erroneous belief that the majority of humanity is acting in a way that matches its internal philosophies, and that you are one of a small number of people who feel differently, when in reality the majority probably agrees with you on the inside but is afraid to admit it outright or act on that belief.

Never fear, there is help. David McRaney (who authored another great self-help book "You Are Not So Smart") has delivered another keen observation on the human condition and how we might rise above it, "You Are Now Less Dumb". Here's a quote from the book on our situation.

"Your kind seems the absolute pinnacle of what evolution can produce, maybe even the apex and final beautiful result of the universe unfolding itself. It is a delectable idea to entertain. Even before we had roller skates and Salvador Dalí, it was a conviction in which great thinkers liked to wallow. Of course, as soon as you settle into that thought, you’ll accidentally send an e-mail to your boss meant for your proctologist, or you’ll read a news story about how hot dog-stuffed pizza is now the most popular food in the country. It’s always true that whenever you look at the human condition and get a case of the smugs, a nice heaping helping of ridiculousness plops in your lap and remedies the matter."

He goes on to lay out a framework of our intellectual foibles when it comes to fooling ourselves. The greatest obstruction? Ourselves.

"Anxiety over being ostracized, over being an outsider, has driven the behavior of billions for millions of years."

I won't ruin the rest of it for you, but if you believe there's safety in numbers, you need to read this book.