Hard to Be Human

An examination of human tendencies to underthink and overreact and how these behaviours of the brain affect business leaders and workplace decision-making Appeals to readers of Steven Pinker and of Daniel Kahneman’s book on behavourial economics Thinking, Fast and Slow, who are looking for a broader perspective on how our cognitive biases relate to everyday problems Author has extensive experience as a director on company and non-profit boards and is a sought-after speaker on the topics of decision-making, team dialogue, and leadership Author is a bestselling author of two investing books and most recently Closing the Mind Gap: Smarter Decision Making in a Hypercomplex World Our five big cognitive flaws emanate from five big design features: Greedy Reductionism: We simplify everything we contemplate (design feature) … including the more complicated scenarios in our lives that other animals do not have to contend with (flaw: chapters 3 and 4). In our greed to reduce all of reality, we oversimplify. Certainty Addiction: We are addicted to the feeling of certainty (design feature) … despite being confronted by ambiguity and uncertainty that do not plague other animals (flaw: chapters 5 and 6). We’re overconfident. Emotional Hostage-Taking: We react swiftly and strongly to threats (design feature) … but are prone to overreacting, in part because of the unique human proclivity for excessive, unproductive rumination (flaw: chapters 7 and 8). We take ourselves emotionally hostage. Competing Selves: We adapt with flexibility to different people and different situations (design feature) … but, unlike other animals, we are afflicted with fractured psyches — the competing drives within us that often clash (flaw: chapters 9 and 10). We are burdened by inner conflict. Misguided Meaning: We are constantly trying to make sense of things (design feature) but struggle to find overarching meaning in our lives and impending death — a conundrum that other animals are not perturbed by (flaw: chapters 11 and 12). We are misguided by asking the wrong question about life’s meaning.