Loserthink: How Untrained Brains Are Ruining America

On the one hand, I love the Dilbert comic strip and in the past have read a number of Scott Adams’s books, particularly those that focused on office life. But on the other hand, Adams is a Trump supporter, so when I read the title of his book “Loserthink: How Untrained Brains Are Ruining America”, I couldn’t help but think that he was making a dig at Democrats (despite my opinion that the untrained brains ruining America are definitely conservative). Obviously, if the book is a thinly-veiled anti-liberal tome, I wouldn’t be interested.One thing is clear: We need more critical thinking in this country. While we might disagree over which side of the political aisle is more in need of it (and doesn’t everything seem to come down to a liberal vs. conservative shouting match these days?), we can all agree that there should be more of it. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful experiment if we could ALL learn better critical thinking skills and see if that changed anyone’s mind?Anyway, I tried as best I was able to approach this book with a neutral attitude. The first several pages went quite well, and I thought perhaps Adams had pushed his own bias and attitude successfully to one side. But only several pages in, Adams took an impassioned position against global warming, applying his alleged thinking skills to the issue. But his conclusion is flawed because his reasoning is absurd: Adams reckons that because so few people have ever measured the actual data and overworked scientists don’t thoroughly peer review each other’s papers, combined with the fact that you can’t predict the stock market 10 years out, global warming is not real. I could make the exact same argument to “prove” that Antarctica does not exist. I mean, seriously, how many people have ever been there? And you believe them? What if they were mistaken? What if they were in Alaska or somewhere else? Have you ever personally been there? “Climate forecast models fit a common scam model. … If you have studied psychology and economics, you would understand that the overwhelming consensus of climate scientists could easily be more wrong than right.” He goes on to state that we should put off dealing with any climate-related issue because the technology is getting better all the time, ergo cheaper.Given Adams’s poor approach to thinking through the climate change issue, I can see no reason to assume any of his points are valid. Indeed, it does appear very much that he made up his own ways of thinking, erroneously surmising that would save him (and the reader) from “loserthink".In my initial notes for this review, I wrote: "I’m not really sure that Scott Adams is the person to teach this topic. Edward de Bono’s thinking hats method is excellent.” Now I’m sure. He really really isn’t.NOTE: The “Thinking Like a Psychologist” chapter reminded me very much of Malcolm Gladwell’s recent book “Talking to Strangers”, which I highly recommend. Now that’s a book that will have you scrutinizing your own thinking processes.BOTTOM LINE: I am incredibly disappointed. Scott Adams’s books used to be good. Well written. Factually questionable, to say the least.

If you haven't had the pleasure of watching the morning Periscopes of Scott Adams you are missing the best daily conversation about the news and media psychology.While Adams has been criticized for being in Trump's corner, that's really an unfair charge. Adams is interested in the skills of persuasion, and he's just as likely to praise the skills of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as he is Congressman Matt Gaetz, or President Trump.My book arrived a day early, so I've been diving into the Adams buffet with glee. You should think of Adams as a reality technician, as he shows you which messages resonate with people and which don't. If you're familiar with his work you'll recognize some of his themes, such as "Don't Stay in Your Own Lane," which if that advice had been taken by the Wright Brothers, they'd never have taken to the skies.Adams also has a preference for "systems over goals," which means you should have a clear strategy for anything you wish to accomplish. In other words, don't tell me what you want to accomplish, tell me "how" you're going to do it.In addition, Adams is also a world-class problem solver. Take his arguments about climate change. Some believe our carbon dioxide emissions are warming the planet and some do not. That's an impasse, right? Not necessarily. How about Generation IV nuclear energy, which has zero risk of meltdown and actually "eats" used nuclear waste? Could the U.S. become the leader in this technology, which is likely to be cheaper than fossil fuel? And even if you don't agree with the risk of climate change, everybody agrees that the extraction of oil poses significant environmental problems.If you want a great book which will make you think, and maybe believe that our problems are solvable, this is the book for you.

This is a fantastic book about objective decision making.Most of the n nonsense we hear from reporters, politicians, and pundits on both sides of the political spectrum is biased and partisan nonsense, which the author aptly labels , ‘Loser think’. Amongst the many nuggets of advice contained in this book the author warns against judging groups by their worst (or most extreme) 5%, against overly relying on experts (especially where they have a financial incentive to reach a certain conclusion), and against forming robust conclusions in the absence of sufficient context, which describes all of CNN’s coverage of Donald (yes, I said it).This book's underlying premise is that decision making should be objective, unbiased, and come from the most credible people possible, i.e. climate change advice should not usually come from politicians with a political agenda. This is very similar to Ray Dalio’s book, ‘Principles’ with the difference that this is a much easier and more enjoyable book to read. I really liked ‘Principles’ but must admit I found it a drag by the time I got about two thirds of the way through.I must confess I have engaged in more than my fair share of loser think and it’s a daily battle for me to keep my blood pressure within safe range whenever I see the headlines. This advice in this book has helped me to take a step back and from now on I’ll try and take everything with a pinch of salt - and basically think like less of a loser!In the unlikely event you haven’t watched Scott Adams’s Periscopes or listened to them as Podcasts, be sure to check them out, they’re fantastic, they’re daily, and they’re free.

Scott Adams has genuinely novel and interesting ideas about how we see the world. If you have experienced the shear frustration of discussing politics with people who are clearly wrong but firmly believe they are the enlightened ones, this book will help. To be fair, it's also good to think again about your own controversial opinions, looking for holes in your arguments just to be sure it really is the others who have it wrong!

I really loved this book. It is practically a guide book to a whole host of human behaviour. It helps highlight illogical ideas and behaviours in ourselves and others and teaches a methodical approach to problem solving and fact checking.I'm going to have to buy the paper copy of this book just so I can have it on hand as a reference.It can be pretty heavy at times and if I'm honest Scott Adams certainly likes the sound of his own voice. At times he seems to hold his own opinion on a pedestal. But having read his other books too I believe that to be his style and not just massaging his own ego.With exception of a few heavy sections I heartily recommend this book and certainly will be keeping it on hand for some time as a reference.

Wisdom to keep in your brain at all times to better understand the world around you.

Really easy reading about how people apart in their thinking from the objectiveness, how to notice this (even in the case of oneself) and how to act when one has to deal with this. Highly recommended!