We judge people and initiatives by their results, and we expect events to happen for good, understandable reason. But our clear visions of inevitability are often only illusions.
Leonard MlodinowOne thing that feeds into the way you experience the social world is your mood - and one thing that affects your mood is the weather.
Leonard MlodinowWe believe that when we choose anything, judge a stranger and even fall in love, we understand the principal factors that influenced us. Very often nothing could be further from the truth. As a result, many of our most basic assumptions about ourselves, and society, are false.
Leonard MlodinowWhen we are in the grasp of illusion - or, for that matter, whenever we have a new idea - instead of searching for ways to prove our ideas wrong, we usually attempt to prove them correct. Psychologists call this the confirmation bias, and it presents a major impediment of our ability to break free from the misinterpretation of randomness.
Leonard MlodinowResearch suggests when it comes to understanding our feelings, we humans have an odd mix of low ability and high confidence.
Leonard MlodinowSays Bargh: "We all hold dear idea that weยดre the captain of our own sould, and weยดre in charge, and itยดs a very scary feeling when we are not. In fact, thatยดs what psychosis is - the feeling of detachment from reality and that you are not in control, and thatยดs a very frightening feeling for anyone."
Leonard Mlodinow