{"product_id":"the-uses-of-delusion-why-its-not-always-rational-to-be-rational-9780190079857","title":"The Uses of Delusion: Why It's Not Always Rational to Be Rational","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eA fascinating examination of delusional thinking and how it might benefit health, relationships, and wellbeing\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlthough reason and rationality are our friends in almost all contexts, in some cases people are better off putting reason aside. In a number of very important situations, we benefit by not seeing the world as it is, and by not behaving like logic-driven machines. Sometimes we know we aren't making sense, and yet we are compelled to act against reason; in other cases, our delusions are so much a part of normal human experience that we are unaware of them. As intelligent as we are, much of what has helped humans succeed as a species is not our prodigious brain power but something much more basic. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Uses of Delusion \u003c\/em\u003eis about aspects of human nature that are not altogether rational but, nonetheless, help us achieve our social and personal goals. Psychologist Stuart Vyse presents a lively, accessible exploration of the psychological concepts behind \"useful delusions\", fleshing out how delusional thinking may play a role in love and relationships, illness and loss, and personality and behavior. Along the way Vyse draws on the work of William James, Daniel Kahneman, and Joan Didion - who wrote about her compelling belief that her husband, though deceased, would soon return to her. Throughout, Vyse strives to answer the question: why would some of our most illogical beliefs be as helpful as they are? The concluding chapter offers an explanation grounded in natural selection - the ability to fool ourselves, Vyse argues, has actually helped us to survive. In the final pages of \u003cem\u003eThe Uses of Delusion\u003c\/em\u003e, Vyse offers suggestions for determining when reason should rule and when intuition and emotion should be allowed to take over.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStuart Vyse\u003c\/strong\u003e, PhD, \u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eis a behavioral scientist, teacher, and writer. He taught at Providence College, the University of Rhode Island, and Connecticut College. Vyse's book \u003cem\u003eBelieving in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition\u003c\/em\u003e won the 1999 William James Book Award of the American Psychological Association. He is a contributing editor of \u003cem\u003eSkeptical Inquirer\u003c\/em\u003e magazine, where he writes the \"Behavior \u0026amp; Belief\" column, and a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50496513081618,"sku":"9780190079857","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_a4543cf5-ba1c-429d-9458-f48c0fb826ea.jpg?v=1730695456","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-uses-of-delusion-why-its-not-always-rational-to-be-rational-9780190079857","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}