SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable - Hardcover

Hood, Bruce M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061452645 ISBN 13: 9780061452642

Publisher: Harperone, 2009

Synopsis

In an account chock full of real-world examples reinforced by experimental research, Hood s marvelous book is an important contribution to the psychological literature that is revealing the actuality of our very irrational human nature. Science

In the vein of Malcolm Gladwell s Blink, Mary Roach s Spook, and Dan Ariely s Predictably Irrational, The Science of Superstition uses hard science to explain pervasive irrational beliefs and behaviors: from the superstitious rituals of sports stars, to the depreciated value of houses where murders were committed, to the adoration of Elvis."

About this title

Review:

."..a fun and illuminating book." -- Newsweek

A compelling account of how beliefs in the supernatural world spring from the natural way our minds make sense of our experiences.--Daniel M. Wegner, Harvard Professor of Psychology, author of The Illusion of Conscious Will

In recent years, there has been a lot written about religion, superstition, and faith, but there has never been a book like this. . . SuperSense is a joy to read--beautifully written, deeply clever and funny, replete with brilliant insights and observations.--Paul BloomProfessor, Department of Psychology, Yale University Author of "Descartes' Baby: How the science of child development explains what makes us human"

Supersense is a terrifically fun read. But it is much more: though we may forever believe in ghosts, goblins and the beneficent deities, with a dose of skeptical scientific realism, a la Hood, there is hope that sanity will prevail.--Marc Hauser, Harvard College Professor, author of Moral Minds

Read this beautifully written book, and you will lose some childhood innocence about how the world works. But, it will leave you wiser about yourself, and what it is to be human.--Guy Claxton, author of Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind: How Intelligence Increases When You Think Less

An intriguing look at a feature of the human mind that is subtle in its operation but profound in its consequences.--Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of How the Mind Works and The Stuff of Thought

."..a fun and illuminating book."--Newsweek

"Hood's treatise provides a much-needed counterbalance to hardcore skeptics by arguing that supersense, while not exactly grounded in rationality, ultimately gives our lives meaning."--Booklist

..".a fun and illuminating book."--Newsweek

In an account chock full of real-world examples reinforced by experimental research, Hood s marvelous book is an important contribution to the psychological literature that is revealing the actuality of our very irrational human nature.--Science"

Book Description:

A fascinating and engaging examination of why we believe in the supernatural.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harperone
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0061452645
• ISBN 13: 9780061452642
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 302