Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Book Reading #50: Why We Make Mistakes Microblog

Reference Information
   Title: Why We Make Mistakes
   Author: Joseph T. Hallinan
   Editors: Broadway Books (2009)

Summary
Chapter 12: We Don't Constrain Ourselves (15 pages)
Hallinan discusses constraints and affordances in this chapter. He talks about how they aid us in everyday life and how affordances give people insights into how something can be used. The person just has to know where to look.


Chapter 13: The Grass Does Look Greener (12 pages)
In chapter 13, the author talks about the thought processes behind important life decisions. People tend to focus on minor factors when doing so. He also discusses how people mispredict how they will feel about important life decisions in the future because of the focus on minor factors.


Conclusion (13 pages)
Hallinan gives advice to the readers as to how they can apply the the ideas discussed in the book. He recommends: think small, calibration should be taught, create a written record to take off the rose-colored glasses, expect failure, don't be set in your ways, slow down, be aware of anecdotes, get plenty of sleep, and be happy. He finishes by talking about how money does not eliminate mistakes.

Discussion
Hallinan makes a lot of good points in these chapters. I thought chapter 13 was really excellent and something that I can immediately apply to myself. He gave a bunch of good examples and really stresses on looking at the bigger picture when making big decisions. 

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