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's prevailing message is one of hope and forgiveness for our anxiety riddled human self. If you have all but lost faith in our ability to reason through the noise of information overload, this book aims to make sense of the senseless. To crack open a window in our minds and let the fresh air in. To help quiet the cacophony for a while, and maybe, even hear a melody in it.

Amanda Montell's THE AGE OF MAGICAL OVERTHINKING is a popular non-fiction book that explores the themes of culture, celebrity, and social norms. With a blend of humour and sharp wit, Montell presents a literary exploration of our cognitive biases, making this a top pick in the psychology and self-help genres.

For fans of Anna Bogutskaya (Unlikeable Female Characters), Dolly Alderton (Everything I Know About Love), Mona Chollet (In Defence of Witches), Laura Bates (Fix the System, Not the Women), and Cal Newport (Digital Minimalism).

HarperCollins 2024