Collective illusions : conformity, complicity, and the science of why we make bad decisions
(Playaway)

IN PROCESS RECORD.

Release date supplied by publisher.

Issued on Playaway, a dedicated audio media player.

One set of earphones and one AAA battery required for listening.

Read by Jay Ben Markson.

"Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience, behavioral economics, and social psychology research, acclaimed author, former Harvard professor, and think-tank founder Todd Rose demonstrates how so much of our thinking about each other is informed by false assumptions that drive conformity and self-censorship, which makes us dangerously mistrustful as a society and needlessly unhappy as individuals. There is a hidden cost to one of the most powerful, least understood forces in society: the desire to fit in. In Collective Illusions, Dr. Todd Rose reveals how our brain's misunderstanding of what other people think distorts how we see the world around us and leads us to continually act against our own best interests. From toilet paper shortages to kidneys that get thrown away rather than used for desperately needed organ transplants, from racial segregation to the perceived 'electability' of women for political office, from bottled water to cancel culture, we routinely get caught up in collective illusions. The question is, Why do we keep falling for illusions and believing the lies that hurt ourselves and each other? Dr. Rose shows how the answer is deeply hard-wired in our DNA, with brains that are more socially dependent than we realize. Driven by our innate 'conformity bias,' most of us would rather be fully in sync with our respective groups than true to who we are. As a result, we can easily end up copying others, self-silencing, and even lying about what we truly believe. But there is also good news: Dr. Rose provides the roadmap to taming social influence and contributing to a world free of collective illusions. We can do this by committing to our personal congruence and restoring social trust. Using lessons from sources as diverse as Seneca and the Stoics to Vaclav Havel and the Velvet Revolution, this book shows us how to step around the traps of conformity and make better decisions, build more authentic relationships, and achieve a more meaningful life on our own terms."--,Provided by publisher.