Why Smart People Do Dumb Things

by Mortimer R. Feinberg, John J. Tarrant

Face it—in the wake of a friend's, a collegue's, or even your own self-induced catastrophe, you've at least once marvelled, "But so-and-so's normally such a smart person..."

If you're intelligent and accomplished, there is a good chance you will make a destructive megamistake at some time in your life—one that may irreversibly damage an important relationship or ruin your career. Find out what important steps you can take to avoid the fate of all the smart people who've already gone that route.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Economics

282 pages, Hardcover

First published April 26, 1995

Reviews

[Hannah]

The is divided into two sections: one talks about the downfalls of people, especially famous ones, and the other section talks about how to improve your thinking. This book has a GIANT bias. The problems the book mentioned isn't limited to people who score high on IQ tests. Everyone can experience these problems sooner or later. They also assume that people with higher paying jobs and more power score higher on IQ tests and are therefore, smarter. That's not always the case. Therefore, I suggest you take this book with a grain of salt.

The first section amuses me since all the stories about people failing, in the silliest ways, are funny. However, sometimes the sections can get confusing, especially the explanation of Whitewater and Hillary Clinton. The opening of the book really caught my attention, and I found myself reading on and on even after I grew tired of reading.

The second part has lots of questionnaires and activities for the reader to assess his or her ways of thinking. Most of the questions ask you to examine your thinking, compares it against the mistakes of others, and then tells you how you can avoid the dumb mistakes.

Sometimes the tone of the book becomes very condescending. I couldn't tell if the authors were being serious, sarcastic, or just making fun of people. Honestly, if you're just reading this for fun, it's an interesting read. If you want a serious self-help book, drop the book and go look somewhere else. This is not a self-help book, but one that makes you think about what you're doing.

I actually didn't finish the book due to time constraints and boredom.

[Carlos Alejandro]

its a book that it should be read at least once a year to remember the feet at the ground. Everyone is a person and should be treated as well.

[Irene]

interesting treatise

[Becky]

Interesting case studies, but the narrative winds into generic self-help towards the end.