Cognitive Biases

Our Brain Plays Tricks on Us is a two-part ARTE documentary hosted by cognitive neuroscientist and psychologist Albert Moukheiber. It uses illusions, magic tricks, and simple experiments to show how the brain builds our experience of reality and where it can go wrong, covering perception, automatic thinking, and cognitive biases in a visual, easy-to-follow way. Viewer comments are very positive, with people describing it as fascinating and saying it made them want to learn more about the subject.

BookBeginner

The Art of Thinking Clearly

Rolf Dobelli

The Art of Thinking Clearly is a quick tour of 99 common thinking errors, including herd instinct, sunk costs, overconfidence, and other biases that can shape everyday decisions. Each chapter is only a few pages long and uses a simple story or example, so it is easy to read in small pieces. Readers often found it engaging and useful for spotting biases they had not noticed before. It works best as a first look at the topic rather than a deep explanation of how these biases work.

Noba is a free, modular collection of psychology textbook chapters covering the major areas of introductory psychology, from biological psychology and learning to development, personality, and mental illness. Written by experts in different subfields, the chapters are organized as standalone modules, so learners can work through a broad introduction or dip into specific topics as needed. Learners frequently described Noba as beginner-friendly and wide-ranging, and useful alongside an introductory psychology course, with its free access being a major practical advantage.

BookBeginner

Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics

Richard Thaler

Misbehaving tells the story of how behavioral economics developed by showing where real people behave differently from the perfectly rational people assumed in traditional economics. Richard Thaler mixes research with stories from his own career, experiments, finance, sports, and public policy. Readers often found it funny and easier to read than more research-heavy books in the field. It is especially useful for understanding both behavioral economics and how the field grew.

You Are Not So Smart is a long-running podcast where David McRaney talks with researchers about reasoning, biases, judgment, self-deception, and how our minds can mislead us. Each episode usually follows one guest, study, or idea, so listeners can dip into whatever interests them. People often praised the guests and range of topics, especially for learning more about how we think. It works better for ongoing exploration than for learning the subject in a set order.

BookBeginner

Nudge

Richard H. Thaler , Cass R. Sunstein

Nudge explains how the way choices are set up can influence what people decide, even when all the options are still available. Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein use examples from money, health, and public policy to show how things like defaults and small changes in presentation can shape behavior. Readers often found the main ideas clear and practical, though some found the later policy examples repetitive or less engaging.