In the modern information age, our brain’s coping mechanisms have been overloaded, and our irrationality turned up to eleven. Amanda Montell blends cultural criticism and personal narrative to explore our modern cognitive biases and the power, disadvantages and highlights of magical overthinking.
"Magical thinking" can be broadly defined as the belief that one's internal thoughts can affect unrelated events in the external world. Whether that's "manifesting" their way out of poverty, staving off cancer with positive vibes, or transforming an unhealthy relationship to a glorious one through loyalty alone.
In a series of razor sharp and introspective chapters, Montell delves into cognitive biases that run rampant in our brains, from how the "halo effect" cultivates worship (and hatred) of larger-than-life celebrities, to how the "sunk cost fallacy" can keep us in detrimental relationships long after they no longer serve us.
Told with her signature brilliance and wit, Montell delivers a powerful prevailing message of hope and forgiveness for our anxious human experience. If you ever find yourself struggling, despite your best efforts, to keep faith in our overwhelming information overload, this book will be your guiding light.
Now’s the time to make sense of the senselessness and refresh our minds. Montell illuminates in the chaos, quieting the havoc, and invites us to listen, as even in the most startling dissonance, there is harmony.
About the Author :
Amanda is a writer, video content maker, and linguistics groupie living in Los Angeles. Her writing has appeared in Marie Claire, Woman's Day, The Rumpus, and Time Out magazine, and she is a staff features editor at online beauty and health magazine Byrdie.com. Amanda is also the creator and host of The Dirty Word, a web series about language, gender, and pop culture, which airs on Jill Soloway's Wifey.tv and has been featured in Glamour, Bustle, Refinery29, Hello Giggles, and Bust Magazine. Amanda graduated magna cum laude from NYU with a degree in Linguistics. Find her on Instagram @amanda_montell (4.5k followers).
Review :
"Empathetic and enviously shrewd, The Age of Magical Overthinking will cleanse your beleaguered mind the was a TikTok 'guru' never could. Amanda Montell is a relatable and often brazenly funny narrator, as she creates a blueprint to breaking our minds' worst habits. Who knew there was a path out of the forest of brain rot!" - SABRINA IMBLER
"Written with wit, smarts and self-deprecating charm, The Age of Magical Overthinking is at once a guidebook for the era of misinformation and an illuminating, palm-to-the-forehead reveal of the delusions that underlie our own beliefs. Rarely have so few pages explained so much, so entertainingly." - MARY ROACH
"Amanda Montell's unbeatable intellect helps make human life much more interesting, and a little less baffling." – MICHELLE TEA
"Reading The Age of Magical Overthinking feels like talking to a brilliant friend. With vulnerability, humour, and refreshing sincerity, Montell excavates everything from celebrity worship to toxic relationships to the allure of nostalgia. In readable, stylish prose, she offers nuanced insights into contemporary culture, all while giving the reader companionship and hope." – HEATHER DRAKE
"An engaging package suitable for anyone who wants to better understand the chaos of our modern society. Montell's take on how irrationality went mainstream is informed by erudite wit and an eye for telling images." – KIRKUS, starred review
"The Age of Magical Overthinking is a fantastic voyage into the furnace room of the modern mind. I emerged from these enlightening pages with a new understanding of my own cognitive biases, as well as an unbiased awe of Amanda Montell's abundant gifts." – MONA AWAD
