The Mind is Flat: the Shocking Shallowness of Human Psychology

This course, from Professor Nick Chater and Warwick Business School, explores the origins of human rationality and irrationality. We are victims of an ‘illusion of mental depth’ - we imagine that our thoughts and behaviours arise from hidden motives and beliefs, and that we can understand ourselves by somehow uncovering these hidden forces, whether through therapy, lab experiments or brain scanning. Each week we’ll start with a paradox, some mystifying aspect of human behaviour, before looking at insights into it, gained over decades of psychological and behavioural research. Some of the really exciting things we’ll be looking at are: You’ll learn from Warwick Business School’s leading behavioural science group, as well as a diverse range of people who have thought very deeply in a practical context about the nature of human behaviour. It has been such an eye opener how our everyday lives are influenced by clever marketing, advertising & each other’s personalities.”