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We perceive reality not exactly as it is but as our brains interpret it. (Page 15)
Between the idea and the reality … Falls the Shadow.
— T.S. Eliot
Probability Neglect — fretting about publicized but remote possibilities while ignoring the more common probabilities. e.g. driving is 501x more dangerous than flying.
Hindsight Bias: “Life is lived forwards, but understood backwards.” — Soren Kierkegaard
Humility – an accurate understanding of self, recognizing both our own talents and others’ strengths. Humility involves an orientation toward others.
Polarized Beliefs – “When like minds discuss, their attitudes become more extreme.” Social circles where everyone agrees creates vehement opinions, feeding off each other. Examples of modern day social circles that create polarized beliefs:
- Internet groups
- Partisan news
- Regional groups
Overconfidence Phenomenon — the tendency when making forecasts or judgments to be more confident than correct. Tetlock study of 27,000 very confident predictions were only correct 40% of the time (Page 112).
Dunning-Kruger Effect — Incompetence doesn’t recognize itself. “The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.”
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” — Teddy Roosevelt
How to Make and Sustain Friendship
- Proximity.
- Similarity.
- Equity: support each other in equal measure.
- Self-disclosure: be real. Share likes, dislikes, joys, hurts, dreams, worries.
Are you listening as much as you are sharing? (Pages 136-141)
More contact with minority groups predicts lower prejudice in every culture. (Page 175)