Why We Think What We Think

'Fizzing with insights and ideas... I loved it'
Jenny Kleeman, author of The Price of Life

‘Fascinating, incredibly valuable and accessible – a compelling view of why we see the world and each other the way we do’
Bobby Duffy, author of The Perils of Perception

Without knowing it, almost all our opinions – whether we believe in God or in ghosts, our views on sex or animal rights or immigration, our basic sense of what’s right – are shaped by an astounding web of hidden forces. The age-old idea that our views are forged by reason and evidence alone is wrong: we are influenced by everything from the quirks of distant history, through the lines of our genetic code, to the geology of where we grew up.

This eye-opening book takes us through culture, biology, geography, history, psychology and much more to uncover the hidden DNA of our opinions. It reveals:

• Why the descendants of rice farmers have fundamentally different social values to the descendants of grain farmers
• How our physical appearance shapes the way we see the world – and why conventionally attractive people tend to support the free market
• Why liberals are more likely than conservatives to think pineapple should go on pizza – and why conservatives prefer smooth peanut butter to crunchy
• Why hot and humid countries favour authoritarian leaders

Packed with surprising stories and counterintuitive discoveries, Why We Think What We Think does more than reveal how our beliefs are formed. By showing where our beliefs really come from, it invites us to step outside our own assumptions – and learn how to think more clearly, and more generously, about the world we all share.