Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average

We forget our passwords. We pay too much to go to the gym. We think weâ d be happier if we lived in California (we wouldnâ t), and we think we should stick with our first answer on tests (we shouldnâ t). Why do we make mistakes? And could we do a little better?

We human beings have design flaws. Our eyes play tricks on us, our stories change in the retelling, and most of us are fairly sure weâ re way above average. In Why We Make Mistakes, journalist Joseph T. Hallinan sets out to explore the captivating science of human errorâ how we think, see, remember, and forget, and how this sets us up for wholly irresistible mistakes.

In his quest to understand our imperfections, Hallinan delves into psychology, neuroscience, and economics, with forays into aviation, consumer behavior, geography, football, stock picking, and more. He discovers that some of the same qualities that make us efficient also make us error prone. We learn to move rapidly through the world, quickly recognizing patternsâ but overlooking details. Which is why thirteen-year-old boys discover errors that NASA scientists missâ and why you canâ t find the beer in your refrigerator.

Why We Make Mistakes is enlivened by real-life storiesâ of weathermen whose predictions are uncannily accurate and a witness who sent an innocent man to jailâ and offers valuable advice, such as how to remember where youâ ve hidden something important. Youâ ll learn why multitasking is a bad idea, why men make errors women donâ t, and why most people think San Diego is west of Reno (itâ s not).

Why We Make Mistakes will open your eyes to the reasons behind your mistakesâ and have you vowing to do better the next time.