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.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Art Of Thinking Clearly summary
The "hiccups" in our everyday thinking.
24 mins
Brief summary
"The Art of Thinking Clearly" by Rolf Dobelli is a practical guide to thinking better and making better decisions. It exposes common thinking errors and provides simple solutions to avoid them, leading to improved clarity and rationality in our daily lives.
Topics
Table of Contents
The Art Of Thinking Clearly
Summary of 11 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 11
We systematically overestimate our abilities in many areas of life.
Do you feel that you have a pretty realistic grasp of your abilities? That, while others might delude themselves into overestimating their abilities, you don’t? If so, you aren’t alone: we all tend to view ourselves through rose-tinted glasses.
Research has shown that we are overconfident in many areas of life.
For example, studies have shown that 84 percent of Frenchmen consider themselves to be above-average lovers. In reality, it’s only possible for 50 percent to be considered “above average,” since, statistically speaking, 50 percent should rank higher and the other half should rank lower.
Similarly, research has shown that 93 percent of US students ranked themselves as “above-average” drivers, and 68 percent of University of Nebraska faculty ranked their own teaching abilities in the top quartile.
These numbers show that the majority of us rate our abilities higher than they probably are.
Not only that, but we also mistakenly attribute successes to our own abilities and failures to external factors.
Researchers even tested this by having a group of subjects take a personality test, and then assigning arbitrary scores to the tests. When the subjects were later interviewed, they found that those with “good” scores believed that the test results had fairly reflected their true abilities, thus successfully assessing their great personalities.
Those who received “bad” scores, however, found the ratings to be useless, and that the test itself ‒ and not their personality ‒ was garbage.
Have you ever had a similar experience? If you got an A on a high school exam, for example, you probably felt that you were responsible for your success. If you flunked, you probably thought that it wasn’t your fault, and that the test was unfair, or some other circumstance caused your failure.
Knowing this, you should therefore be aware of our tendency to overestimate our knowledge and attribute all our success to our own skills. A good way to overcome this might be to invite an honest friend out to coffee and ask for their candid opinion on your strengths and weaknesses.
Want to see all full key ideas from The Art Of Thinking Clearly?
Key ideas in The Art Of Thinking Clearly
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 The Art Of Thinking Clearly about?
The Art Of Thinking Clearly aims to illuminate our day-to-day thinking “hiccups” so that we can better avoid them and start making improved choices. Using both psychological studies and everyday examples, the author provides us with an entertaining collection of all of our most common fallacies.
The Art Of Thinking Clearly Review
The Art Of Thinking Clearly (2013) is a fascinating exploration of the cognitive biases that affect our decision-making process and provides practical tips on how to think more clearly. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- With its encyclopedic approach to human irrationality, it presents a comprehensive overview of the common mental pitfalls we fall into.
- By backing up its claims with research and evidence, it offers a solid foundation for understanding the reasoning behind our flawed thinking.
- Through clear and concise explanations, it manages to address complex concepts in an accessible manner, ensuring that the content remains engaging and thought-provoking.
Best quote from The Art Of Thinking Clearly
In daily life, because triumph is made more visible than failure, you systematically overestimate your chances of succeeding.
—Rolf Dobelli
Who should read The Art Of Thinking Clearly?
- Anyone interested in learning about our psychology
- Anyone who wants to improve her ability to make decisions
- Anyone who wants to learn how not to fall into the same mind-trap again and again
Categories with The Art Of Thinking Clearly
Book summaries like The Art Of Thinking Clearly
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
33 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
The Art Of Thinking Clearly FAQs
What is the main message of The Art Of Thinking Clearly?
The main message of The Art Of Thinking Clearly is to recognize and overcome the cognitive biases that cloud our judgment.
How long does it take to read The Art Of Thinking Clearly?
The reading time for The Art Of Thinking Clearly varies, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The Art Of Thinking Clearly a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Art Of Thinking Clearly is a worthwhile read as it provides valuable insights into common thinking traps. It offers practical tips for making better decisions.
Who is the author of The Art Of Thinking Clearly?
The author of The Art Of Thinking Clearly is Rolf Dobelli.
What to read after The Art Of Thinking Clearly?
If you're wondering what to read next after The Art Of Thinking Clearly, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Weaponized Lies by Daniel J. Levitin
- The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan
- Super Thinking by Gabriel Weinberg with Lauren McCann
- Critical Thinkers by Albert Rutherford
- The Five Elements of Effective Thinking by Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird
- Raising Critical Thinkers by Julie Bogart
- The Art of Clear Thinking by Hasard Lee
- The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins
- The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene
- Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono