Man vs Mind: Everyday Psychology Explained

by Daniel Richardson, Joe Lyward (Illustrator)

A witty, thought-provoking look at the science of what we perceive, think, feel, and do. Where do our thoughts come from? Do we all see the same blue? And how much is our eye really like a camera? The scientific study of how the human mind operates has made great strides—yet still holds great mysteries to be investigated. From trying to decide whether or not we’re robots, to understanding why some people commit acts of violence, to figuring out the art of persuasion, this essential guide to the inner workings of our minds explores the questions we really want to know the answers to. Making the complex comprehensible, Daniel Richardson provides a new insight into how our minds work and the role they play in modern life. Whether it’s pondering over why you’re usually right about everything, or discovering color, Man vs Mind shows that you don’t need to be a psychologist to understand more about what’s going on up there.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help

218 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2017

Reviews

[Adrian Scottow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really nice little book to give you an insight into the world of modern psychology. It is in parts funny, incisive and myth-busting. It is written in a very approachable style - it's a bit like having a really nice chat down the pub with a psychology university lecturer. I thought the chapters on vision and personality were particularly excellent and included some great science that I hadn't come across before. I can't guarantee that this book with make you a better person but it might make you think a little more more about the way you behave and why you do what you do.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars not because it was a bad book, but it was a repetition (50% of the concepts) of "Social psychology for dummies" by the same author

I LOVED the other book, wanted to read more about the concept, and picked this up and half the time I kept thinking "wait...I know this, i JUST read this yesterday....in a different book...
"

If u haven't read the other book,...go ahead
It covers cognitive dissonance, obedience experiments, Stanford prizon experiment and a lot of other concepts that helps you understand why we are the way we are.

[Jo Evershed · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Man vs Mind, Daniel Richardson takes the reader on a surprising and entertaining journey through core concepts in psychology: mind, sight, opinion, colour, words, attitudes, personality and actions.

The author successfully distills complex ideas into prose that is captivating, thought-provoking and memorable. He takes us from a philosophers viewpoint, to the details of actual experiments and back to what this means in the real world. At times he is laugh-out-loud funny!

This books is perfect for anyone considering studying psychology, as well as anyone who has a brain and would like to know how it works so well (or badly)!

[Norih · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read. I couldn't put it down yesterday. I think I'll probably re-read it at some point in the future. Reading this will place your attention your own mind's unreliability, and give insight to remember when navigating everyday life. Such as, make decisions that place you in nice and noble situations! (You are, above all, a product of it.) And, be aware of when in your life cognitive dissonance makes you act as a dumb prick! No need to harm yourself or loved ones when there is no need for it. Some info presented is more useful that other, but none the less, the book makes you think, it's written to be understood, it's fun, and fascinating, and I'd recommend it to everyone.

[Mark Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating insights

I really enjoyed this book. Fascinating information about how our minds work. Easy and fun to read. Everyone should read it - if I had time I would read it again.

[Gregg Coppock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Struggled to finish , several interesting points but overall bland

[Adham Elazhari · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best one ever

[Autumn 🦇 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and interesting

[Johnny Hermens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read. Flows well and easy to keep turning the pages. Made me think. A bit topical and some opinions from the writer

[Anthea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting insights into our brains. Easy to understand a d great examples and analogies. Such an interesting read that I'll probably have to read it again to really soak it all in.

[Callum Cowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent pop-neuroscience

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Read

[Tăng Yến · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a worth reading book!
So I guess I have my reading teacher to thank for forcing my class to read this book (though I greatly enjoyed reading it, most of my friends are not :D)

This book gave me a "mind-blowing tour" into our minds, into the way we're perceiving the world. Thanks to this book, I know a lot of interesting psychology knowledge like cognitive dissonance, naive realism,.. and also understand some scientific reasons behind our behaviors (we are all racist, stereotypes, how language shape our thoughts, impressive information about our brain and eyes..)

The author has a good sense of humor so this book is not boring at all. Besides, there are many examples so the knowledge isn't too difficult to understand. Illustrations are also one of my reasons for loving this book because these full-size paper drawings made the book more intriguing. It also encouraged me to read more because the book does not full of text.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very thought provoking as intended. It’s interesting to see how you answer a posed question at the start and end of the chapters.

The examples used help all of us at a basic level in Psychology understand the topic in more depth. I’ve learnt a lot from this book and would definitely recommend anyone with a basic understanding in this field to give it a read.

[Ninnin]

i didn't actually read the whole thing. just some of it:)