Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Get started
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
How Minds Change summary
The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion
21 mins
Brief summary
'How Minds Change' by David McRaney explores the psychology of beliefs and attitudes. It provides insights on how we can change our minds through evidence and critical thinking, instead of just relying on emotions and biases.
Topics
Table of Contents
How Minds Change
Summary of 4 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 4
Even the most stubborn of believers can ultimately change their minds.
In June 2011, five British conspiracy theorists boarded a flight in London bound for New York City. They were accompanied by a TV crew responsible for creating the BBC series Conspiracy Road Trip. In each episode of the show, a different part of the conspiracy community travels somewhere in the world. There, they meet experts and eyewitnesses who challenge their beliefs with facts and evidence. The goal is to get them to have changed their minds by the end of the episode.
This particular episode focused on five “truthers” – people who believe that the official narrative of what happened on 9/11 is a lie. They traveled to New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, where they met experts in explosives, demolition, air travel, and construction, in addition to family members of victims, government officials, and architects. They also trained in a commercial airline simulator and took flying lessons that let them soar over New York City.
How many of them do you think ultimately changed their minds? On every other episode of Conspiracy Road Trip, the number was exactly zero. But this time, it was one.
The person in question was Charlie Veitch, a prominent thought leader within the truther community. At the time, Charlie was famous for his YouTube conspiracy videos – some with over a million views – and for his regular practice of hitting the streets with a megaphone, trying to recruit people into the movement. He had befriended and collaborated with well-known conspiracy theorists Alex Jones and David Icke.
However, something changed for Charlie during the filming of the episode. His certainty in his beliefs began to be eroded by his encounters with demolition experts, seeing the blueprints of the Twin Towers, and attending the flight school. His final epiphany occurred when meeting two people, Alice Hoagland and Tom Heidenberger, who had lost family members during the attacks. As he described it, the change in his opinion was like a sudden “bang!”
When the truthers reconvened later in the episode, none of them were on the same page as Charlie. They argued that Hoagland – one of the family members that Charlie had met – had either been brainwashed by the FBI or was a paid actress. They were firmly caught in the conspiratorial loop – a kind of logical prison in which people claim that any contradictory evidence is purposely designed and planted by the conspirators to mask the truth.
How, then, was Charlie able to break free of the loop? Was it the strength of the evidence alone that convinced him? It couldn’t have been – otherwise the other truthers on the trip would have been equally convinced. In fact, there was something else going on in Charlie’s life that set the stage for him to change his mind. To understand why, we’ll need to talk about why people begin to hold tightly to a set of beliefs in the first place.
Want to see all full key ideas from How Minds Change?
Key ideas in How Minds Change
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is How Minds Change about?
How Minds Change (2022) is a deep dive into why we believe, why we keep believing, and why, sometimes, we stop believing. More than that, it’s a guide to changing minds – not through manipulation or coercion, but through empathy and open-mindedness.
How Minds Change Review
How Minds Change explores the fascinating topic of why and how people change their minds. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- With eye-opening insights, the book reveals the psychological mechanisms behind mindset shifts, allowing readers to understand and navigate the process of changing their minds.
- Backed by research and real-life examples, the book offers a comprehensive understanding of cognitive biases, persuasion techniques, and the power of empathy in influencing beliefs.
- By delving into diverse case studies and exploring the emotional and social factors that impact our perspectives, the book keeps readers engaged and ensures it's definitely not boring.
Who should read How Minds Change?
- Psychology and neuroscience geeks
- Friends and family members of conspiracy theorists or dogmatic political activists
- Anyone who knows a person whose mind they’d like to change
Categories with How Minds Change
Book summaries like How Minds Change
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
37 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
How Minds Change FAQs
What is the main message of How Minds Change?
The main message of How Minds Change is that our beliefs are not set in stone and can be changed through learning and experience.
How long does it take to read How Minds Change?
The reading time for How Minds Change varies depending on the reader's speed, but it typically takes several hours. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is How Minds Change a good book? Is it worth reading?
How Minds Change provides valuable insights into the human mind. It is definitely worth reading for anyone interested in personal growth and understanding how our beliefs shape our lives.
Who is the author of How Minds Change?
The author of How Minds Change is David McRaney.
What to read after How Minds Change?
If you're wondering what to read next after How Minds Change, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- You are Now Less Dumb by David McRaney
- A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel
- Start With Why by Simon Sinek
- Make Today Count by John C. Maxwell
- The First Minute by Chris Fenning
- 5 Types of People Who Can Ruin Your Life by Bill Eddy
- Surrounded by Narcissists by Thomas Erikson
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- Atomic Habits by James Clear