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.

In The Age of Magical Overthinking, Amanda Montell explores the themes of personal growth and self-help, using humour and criticism to dissect popular culture and the celebrity phenomenon. She delves into the science and psychology behind our cognitive biases, offering a literary take on these non-fiction subjects.

For fans of Viktor E. Frankl (Yes To Life In Spite of Everything), Robert B. Cialdini (Pre-Suasion), Chris Bailey (How to Calm Your Mind), Anna Bogutskaya (Unlikeable Female Characters), and Laura Bates (Fix the System, Not the Women).

HarperCollins 2024

The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality

The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality