The Art of Thinking Clearly: Summary Review & Takeaways
This is a summary review of The Art of Thinking Clearly containing key details about the book.
What is The Art of Thinking Clearly About?
The Art of Thinking Clearly is an eye-opening look at human psychology and reasoning — essential reading for anyone who wants to avoid “cognitive errors” and make better choices in all aspects of their lives. This book changes the way we think and transform our decision-making at work, at home, and every day. It reveals the most common errors of judgment, and how to avoid them.
Who is the author of The Art of Thinking Clearly?
Rolf Dobelli born in Luzern, Switzerland, is a Swiss author and entrepreneur. Dobelli is the author of The Art of Thinking Clearly. Dobelli is a member of Edge Foundation, Inc., PEN International, and the Royal Society of Arts. He is the founder of the World Minds foundation.
Book details
- Print length: 384 Pages
- Genre: Nonfiction, Psychology, Self Help
What are key takeaways from The Art of Thinking Clearly?
Takeaway #1: We systematically overestimate our abilities.
Overestimating our abilities can lead to inflated self-evaluation and a tendency not only to overestimate but also credit success with ourselves. This is human nature, as it's easier than accepting responsibility when things go wrong. However, there are ways of overcoming this – having an honest friend around who will provide candid feedback allows you to make better assessments instead of relying solely upon your opinion alone.
Takeaway #2: We can control and predict much less than we think.
The illusion of control can be an appealing idea because it offers us some hope. We tend to think that if we believe in our ability, then this will reduce the suffering found throughout life's experiences; however, there are many factors outside our direct influence we should consider when making decisions rather than solely relying on wishes for success. The key is to be critical of our predictions and to focus our energy on things we truly can influence.
Takeaway #3: We tend to follow what the group does to prevent ourselves from being excluded.
Groupthink refers to social proof when people are less likely to speak up during a meeting because they don't want to disrupt unity. The more everyone else is doing something similar - following the group without hesitation- the less we think independently or say anything that might disagree with the group’s unity. Social groups can negatively impact our ability for critical thinking and lead us into dangerous situations if left unchecked.
Takeaway #4: We interpret information to fit with our self-image and beliefs.
If you've ever been convinced of something even after being presented with contradictory evidence, then there's a good chance that your brain has cooked up some faulty data to support its own belief system. This phenomenon is called confirmation bias and it means we're much easier at confirming information that aligns with our values, self-image, and beliefs - which can be damaging when trying to evaluate something objectively. This doesn't mean we should ignore our evaluations, but to also check other sources and keep an eye out against any possible mistakes before jumping to conclusions.
Takeaway #5: We determine the value of things based on their availability compared to others.
As humans, we are not so good at making absolute judgments, relying instead on comparisons. For example, When we compare two objects, the one that is more attractive will often seem better than it really is. This is the contrast-effect at work and it can lead us to misjudgments.
Rarity has an important role in how much someone pays attention and spends money on any particular item. Businesses exploit this tendency to make fast decisions by using phrases that create scarcity. We can avoid these tendencies with a more calculated approach in order to be better consumers.
Takeaway #6: We tend to be fixated on the fascinating
We are more apt to listen and believe an unusual event with a story than listening to abstract details. This is why the media is much more focused on entertaining narratives than simply providing facts. This is also why doctors are taught not to be seduced by thinking that symptoms might be caused by some exotic disease and instead always investigate the most likely ailments first.
Takeaway #7: Our attention is usually selective and narrow.
We usually miss things that occur outside our focus. In a long stream of input, for example, we pay the most attention to the first and last information. This is the primacy effect in action, which means that our first impressions tend to shape our overall assessment.
Takeaway #8: Making decisions can be tiresome, especially with many choices.
Research shows that decision-making can be exhausting and result in decision fatigue. It also shows that a large selection leads to an inability to come to a decision.
In many ways, the “perfect decision” is impossible. It’s better to learn to love “good” choices, rather than striving for the “perfect” ones.
It is impossible to make the perfect decision. The best one should aim for is making a good choice, not always the best.
Takeaway #9: We like others if they are attractive, flatter us, and remind us of ourselves.
The "halo effect" happens when we automatically assume that good-looking people are nicer, more intelligent, and more pleasant than everyone else. The “halo effect” is also a form of positive stereotyping. It occurs when we judge people from a single feature such as nationality, gender, or race.
The liking bias occurs when someone likes you and you feel happy about it, so in turn, you like them. Salespeople, for example, will copy the gestures, facial expressions, and language of their clients in order to make themselves more likable.
Takeaway #10: Feelings influence our choices, even if we don't realize it.
Most of us are not rational when making decisions because we rely on mental shortcuts guided by our emotions. We are driven by the thoughts and feelings that come to us first. For example, it is hypothesized that when we feel happy, we more likely to make financial investments.
What are the chapters in The Art of Thinking Clearly?
CHAPTER 1 - Developing Your Thinking: An Overview
CHAPTER 2 - Establish a Foundation -
CHAPTER 3 - Broaden Your Perspective
CHAPTER 4 - Be a Critical Reader, Listener, and Viewer
CHAPTER 5 - The Creative Process
CHAPTER 6 - Search for Challenges
CHAPTER 7 - Express the Problem or Issue
CHAPTER 8 - Investigate the Problem or Issue
CHAPTER 9 - Produce Ideas
CHAPTER 10 - The Role of Criticism
CHAPTER 11 - Refine Your Solution to the Problem
CHAPTER 12 - Evaluate Your Argument on the Issue
CHAPTER 13 - Refine Your Resolution of the Issue
CHAPTER 14 - Persuading Others
CHAPTER 15 - Writing and Speaking Effectively
What are some of the main summary points from the book?
Here are some key summary points from the book:
- Our thinking is prone to various cognitive biases that can lead to errors and irrational decisions.
- The confirmation bias: We tend to seek and interpret information in a way that confirms our existing beliefs or biases, rather than objectively evaluating evidence.
- The availability bias: We give more weight to information that is readily available to us, such as recent or vivid examples, rather than considering the full range of evidence.
- The hindsight bias: After an event occurs, we tend to believe that we knew it was going to happen all along, underestimating the role of chance and overestimating our own foresight.
- The overconfidence effect: We tend to be overconfident in our own abilities, knowledge, and predictions, leading us to take excessive risks or make flawed decisions.
- The sunk cost fallacy: We often continue investing in a failing endeavor because we have already invested time, money, or effort into it, even when it would be better to cut our losses and move on.
- The social proof phenomenon: We are strongly influenced by the actions and opinions of others, often leading to conformity and groupthink.
- The narrative fallacy: We have a natural tendency to create coherent and compelling stories to explain events, even when the true causes are complex or random.
- The correlation-causation fallacy: We often mistake correlation for causation, assuming that just because two things occur together, one must cause the other.
- The anchoring effect: Our decisions are influenced by the first piece of information we receive, which serves as an anchor, even if it is arbitrary or irrelevant.
- The halo effect: We tend to let our overall impression of a person, organization, or thing influence our judgment of their specific attributes or actions.
- The loss aversion bias: We feel the pain of losses more acutely than the pleasure of equivalent gains, causing us to be overly cautious and conservative in decision-making.
- The endowment effect: We value things we own more than identical things that we don't own, leading to irrational attachment and reluctance to part with possessions.
- The framing effect: The way information is presented or framed can significantly impact our decisions, as we react differently to the same options depending on how they are framed.
- The planning fallacy: We tend to underestimate the time, resources, and challenges involved in completing a task or project, leading to unrealistic expectations and missed deadlines.
- The availability heuristic: We rely on immediate examples that come to mind when evaluating the likelihood or importance of events, often ignoring statistical data.
- The outcome bias: We judge the quality of a decision based on the outcome rather than the decision-making process itself, leading to unjust evaluations and reinforcing bad habits.
- The gambler's fallacy: We mistakenly believe that past events or random outcomes can influence future probabilities, leading to erroneous expectations in games of chance or investment decisions.
- The contrast effect: Our perception of something is influenced by the presence of similar or contrasting objects or events, altering our judgments and preferences.
- The clustering illusion: We tend to see patterns and clusters in random or unrelated data, seeking order and structure even where none exists.
- The negativity bias: Negative information and experiences have a stronger impact on our thoughts and emotions than positive ones, leading to a skewed perception of reality.
What are good quotes from The Art of Thinking Clearly?
"Whether we like it or not, we are puppets of our emotions. We make complex decisions by consulting our feelings, not our thoughts. Against our best intentions, we substitute the question, “What do I think about this?” with “How do I feel about this?” So, smile! Your future depends on it.” (Meaning)
“If 50 million people say something foolish, it is still foolish.”
“How do you curb envy? First, stop comparing yourself to others. Second, find your “circle of competence” and fill it on your own. Create a niche where you are the best. It doesn’t matter how small your area of mastery is. The main thing is that you are king of the castle.”
“We must learn to close doors. A business strategy is primarily a statement on what not to engage in. Adopt a life strategy similar to a corporate strategy: Write down what not to pursue in your life. "
"Most doors are not worth entering, even when the handle seems to turn so effortlessly.”
“If your only tool is a hammer, all your problems will be nails,”
“As paradoxical as it sounds: The best way to shield yourself from nasty surprises is to anticipate them.”
“Do not assume that those who think differently are idiots. Before you distrust them, question your own assumptions.”
“There are two kinds of forecasters: those who don’t know, and those who don’t know they don’t know,”
“It’s OK to be envious – but only of the person you aspire to become.”
“We are drunk on our own ideas. To sober up, take a step back every now and then and examine their quality in hindsight. Which of your ideas from the past ten years were truly outstanding? Exactly.”
“it is much more common that we overestimate our knowledge than that we underestimate it.”
“do you have at least one enemy? Good. Invite him or her over for coffee and ask for an honest opinion about your strengths and weaknesses. You will be forever grateful you did.”
“Should you ever be sent to war, and you don’t agree with its goals, desert.”
“Excel spreadsheets might as well be one of the most dangerous recent inventions.”
“If you ever find yourself in a tight, unanimous group, you must speak your mind, even if your team does not like it.”
“The human brain seeks patterns and rules. In fact, it takes it one step further: If it finds no familiar patterns, it simply invents some.”
“The Pope asked Michelangelo: ‘Tell me the secret of your genius. How have you created the statue of David, the masterpiece of all masterpieces?’ Michelangelo’s answer: ‘It’s simple. I removed everything that is not David.”
“...reactance: when we are deprived of an option, we suddenly deem it more attractive. It is a kind of act of defiance. It is also known as the Romeo and Juliet effect: because the love between the tragic Shakespearean teenagers is forbidden, it knows no bounds.”
“Regard your internal observations with the same skepticism as claims from some random person. Become your own toughest critic.”
“We are obsessed with having as many irons as possible in the fire, ruling nothing out and being open to everything... this
“We attach too much likelihood to spectacular, flashy or loud outcomes. Anything silent or invisible we downgrade in our minds... We think dramatically, not quantitatively.”
“Verbal expression is the mirror of the mind. Clear thoughts become clear statements, whereas ambiguous ideas transform into vacant ramblings.”
“If you have nothing to say, say nothing.’ Simplicity is the zenith of a long, arduous journey, not the starting point.”
“Expect only short-term happiness from material things, such as cars, houses, lottery winnings, bonuses, and prizes"
“trying to be happier is as futile as trying to be taller.”
“Emotions form in the brain, just as crystal-clear, rational thoughts do.. sometimes they provide the wiser counsel.”
“.. because triumph is made more visible than failure, you systematically overestimate your chances of succeeding.”
― Rolf Dobelli, The Art of Thinking Clearly Quotes
What do critics say?
Here's what one of the prominent reviewers had to say about the book: “Dobelli examines our most common decision-making failings with engaging eloquence and describes how to counter them with instructive good sense.” — Robert Cialdini, author of Influence
* The summary points above have been concluded from the book and other public sources. The editor of this summary review made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any published quotes, chapters, or takeaways
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
