The Invisible Gorilla

Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle

The authors puncture several everyday illusions in a way that can make us both laugh and think. It can be a little unsettling to realize how unfounded many of our assumptions about our minds, and thus the world we perceive with them, really are — but if you are strong enough to take it, the reality check is exhilarating. This is a work of popular science, so the explanations of cognitive processes and experimental methods are simplified for the layperson, while the presentation is engaging and personal - with examples from the authors' own experience as well as their studies. Fun to read as well as enlightening. (I only wish the word “assumptions” had been used instead of “intuitions” – I think it would be more accurate.)

Many interesting experiments and results fill this book as anecdotes on our frail minds. The stories woven into the narrative are engaging and help to bring the ideas down into reality. The text between the stories is often dry. I wanted to just dive into this book and extract all its secrets, but it made me tired. I prevailed,- perhaps that leaves me in a better place to expect the unexpected.

I'd recommend this book to determined readers who want to know more about cognitive science. Readers who already read Subliminal may find the anecdotes similar but the text more dense. These books have overlapping but different subject matter. I preferred Subliminal.

Další z řady knih o tom, jak se naše mysl dá snadno ošálit. Pokud už jste četli něco od Malcolma Gladwella a nebo jednu z nejznámějších knih Myšlení, rychlé a pomalé od Daniela Kahnemana, tak vás už téměř nic nepřekvapí. Člověk občas prostě vidí jen to, co potřebuje vidět (více než polovina nehod motocyklistů je způsobeno kolizí s autem a 65 procent těchto nehod je způsobeno tím, že auto začne zatáčet doleva a nevidí motocyklistu - problém je bohužel ten, že řidič v zrcátku automaticky vyhlíží auto, nikoliv motorky).
Takže poučení z této knihy: Dávejte si pozor, na co se díváte.