You are Now Less Dumb summary

Do you feel like a respected manager because you wear a suit to work or do you wear a suit to work because you feel like a respected manager? Actually both are true. When we have an attitude, we act in accordance with it, but we also form attitudes that stem from how we act.

It’s logical that, when we do a favor for someone, they’re likely to appreciate us more than before. But did you know that it also makes us like them more? This phenomenon is known as the Benjamin Franklin effect because Franklin once turned a rival into a friend by asking him to borrow a special book.

Say you ate a chicken sandwich a couple of hours ago and now you’re starting to feel sick. What do you think could be the reason? The sandwich, right?

Not so fast.

Would you agree that sometimes you’re a bit shallow and form an opinion about another person based on just one characteristic? If so, don’t worry – you’re not alone!

When a person displays a certain trait, it influences how we perceive their personality in general. This is called the Halo Effect.

Whether you’re in a good or bad mood, you probably think you understand why you feel that way. But, actually, most of the time you really don’t know. Sometimes the most obvious reason isn’t the real one.

By now we know that our brains always need a rational explanation for events, but we’re not aware of the true reasons behind our emotions, which often leads to situations where we’re misguided.

Imagine you’re a huge fan of an author and when her new book comes out, it gets panned by critics. Do you think that that'd influence your feelings towards it?

When we hold strong views, we often dissect and refute arguments in order to confirm our beliefs.

It turns out that most college students don’t actually enjoy drinking alcohol. So why do colleges report problems with excessive drinking?

Because we tend to go along with what we perceive as the norm for those around us. Problem is, this norm is often an inaccurate perception of other people’s opinions.

Within groups such as families, circles of friends and office teams, we feel we know everybody pretty well and this brings us a sense of comfort. But how does living in groups impact our behavior and thinking?

We establish groups in which we feel we’re right and those outside the group are wrong.

Are you a fashionista? Or do you consider clothes mere pieces of fabric that are basic daily necessities? However you feel about them, clothes influence our behavior and the impressions we make on others.

Clothes aren’t just a means of covering up our bodies – they communicate attitudes and ideas and over time have become symbols of character traits or behavior. This means that we often unconsciously make judgements about other people based on what they’re wearing.

If someone offered you the choice of $140,000 a year but you could only sleep six hours every night or $80,000 a year and you could sleep eight hours every night, which would you choose? Chances are you’d take the first option.

But, in reality, there’s a limit to how much money can actually improve our lives.