The Invisible Gorilla - by Christopher Chabris & Daniel Simons (Paperback)

About the Book

Two experts in psychology and human behavior examine misperception and understanding, explaining why people fail to recognize the evidence right in front of them and providing a kind of x-ray vision that will enable readers to conquer faulty thinking.

Book Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Our minds don't work the way we think they do. Two renowned psychologists explain how and why our intuitions lead us astray, "[spinning] the plain world [we] know into a wonderment of surprising new insights" (Time).

"A must-read for anyone who wants to better understand how the mind works."--Associated Press

In The Invisible Gorilla, Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons, creators of one of psychology's most famous experiments, use remarkable stories and counterintuitive scientific findings to demonstrate an important truth: We think we see ourselves and the world as they really are, but we're actually missing a whole lot.

Chabris and Simons combine the work of other researchers with their own findings on attention, perception, memory, and reasoning to reveal how faulty intuitions can lead us to make shocking, costly--even life-threatening--mistakes. In the process, they explain:

- Why a company would spend billions to launch a product that its own analysts know will fail
- Why award-winning movies are full of editing mistakes
- What criminals have in common with chess masters
- Why measles and other childhood diseases are making a comeback
- Why money managers could learn a lot from weather forecasters

The Invisible Gorilla reveals the myriad ways that our intuitions can deceive us, but it's much more than a catalog of human failings. Chabris and Simons explain why we succumb to these everyday illusions and what we can do to inoculate ourselves against their effects. Ultimately, the book provides a kind of x-ray vision into our own minds, making it possible to pierce the veil of illusions that clouds our thoughts and to think clearly for perhaps the first time.

Review Quotes

"Succeeds wonderfully . . . readers who heed [these] admonitions may be rewarded with a clearer view of the world."--The Wall Street Journal

"Fascinating . . . Chabris and Simons threaten to pull the rug of reality itself out from under us."--Seed magazine

"Engaging . . . The Invisible Gorilla just might teach us to be more humble, understanding and forgiving."--The New York Times (Editors' Choice)

"Entertaining and illuminating . . . a surprising guide to everyday illusions and the trouble they can steer us into."--Dan Ariely, New York Times bestselling author of Predictably Irrational

"Tightly reasoned . . . With each chapter, the reader's self- awareness grows."--Science

"Wonderful . . . a terrific book for anyone who wonders how their mind works."--Philadelphia Daily News

"The illusion of attention is one of the most important, surprising, and least- known flaws in human thinking. This lucid book examines it in great detail."--Nassim N. Taleb, author of The Black Swan

"Persuasive, surprising, even amusing . . . will have you rethinking the way you see the world."--Dallas Fort Worth Star- Telegram

"Highly illuminating."--The Guardian (UK)

"Fascinating . . . An owner's manual for the human mind!"--Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology, Harvard University, and New York Times bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness

"An engaging romp through a variety of cognitive illusions . . . written so well it would make Gladwell envious."--Psychology Today

"Engagingly and persuasively explores the illusions that trick us . . . a persuasive warning that intuition often fails us."--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Chabris and Simons use science and anecdotal evidence so effectively . . . that three days after reading their book I feel confident in saying it has changed my life. I just hope I'm not deluding myself."--New Scientist

"A fascinating look at little-known illusions that greatly affect our daily lives . . . Bound to have wide popular appeal."--Kirkus Reviews

"Full of humor and insight, this book is enlightening and entertaining. . . . Readers beware: your perception of everyday occurrences will be forever altered."--Library Journal

"Chabris and Simons's experiments have become classics, and their influence extends well beyond psychology, with implications for our understanding of consciousness and rationality. Having taught their research to my students at Harvard, I was eager to read The Invisible Gorilla, and the book did not disappoint."--Steven Pinker, author of How the Mind Works and The Stuff of Thought

"A riveting romp across the landscape of our psychological misperceptions. . . . If any work of social science could be a page- turner, this is it."--Nicholas A. Christakis, professor, Harvard Medical School, and coauthor of Connected

About the Author

CHRISTOPHER CHABRIS and DANIEL SIMONS are cognitive psychologists who have each received accolades for their research on a wide range of topics. Their "Gorillas in Our Midst" study reveals the dark side of our ability to pay attention and has quickly become one of the best-known experiments in all of psychology; it inspired a stage play and was even discussed by characters on C.S.I. Chabris, who received his Ph.D. from Harvard, is a psychology professor at Union College in New York. Simons, who received his Ph.D. from Cornell, is a psychology professor at the University of Illinois.