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1-Page Summary of Think Like A Freak

Overview

Have you ever done something just because everyone else was doing it? Have you ever repeated an argument that someone else made, even though you didn’t think about it yourself?

We often find ourselves limited by what we think is true, and this can be especially limiting when it comes to problem solving.

This book is intended to help people think differently by showing them how to look at the world from a different perspective. The authors of this book explain that most people take things for granted and don’t consider other possibilities, but they believe that it’s important to challenge your own assumptions and try new ways of thinking.

The author shares 4 key points that will help you see the world differently and find solutions to problems. He says that through this, you’ll be able to think like a freak.

You’ll also learn about magic tricks and why kids are better at them than adults. You’ll find out how experts aren’t always right, how a skinny college student won the world’s biggest hotdog-eating contest by doubling the previous record, and why abortion was legalized in the 1970s and led to a drop in crime rates in the 1990s.

Big Idea #1: Thinking like a freak means violating conventions; it might win you the World Cup but won’t necessarily make you popular.

Most people use conventional beliefs to solve problems. However, most of those conventional beliefs are wrong.

For example, people think that eating locally reduces the environmental impact. However, a recent study found that this is not true because small farms produce more energy than they save from transportation.

Thinking like a freak is about basing your decisions on statistical evidence rather than conventional wisdom. It can be used to solve problems, such as how to kick a soccer ball into the goal from 12 yards away.

Many soccer players kick the ball with their right foot, so they should aim to score on the left side of the goal (57 percent) and not as often on the right side (41 percent).

However, if you think like a freak, you’ll be better at kicking the ball straight. It’s seven percent more likely to go in than if it goes to either of the corners. Thinking like a freak has many advantages but will probably make people dislike you because it’s such an obvious violation of conventions. If the goalkeeper stays in the center and catches it with no effort, he might lose his fans’ faith.

For example, let’s say you tell a friend who is a locavore that the local-food movement actually hurts the environment.

Big Idea #2: Admit when you don’t know something, and never blindly trust experts.

It’s hard for most people to admit that they don’t know something, so instead of confessing their lack of knowledge, they pretend like they know something when actually they don’t.

When it comes to confidence, most people think they are better than average. When asked about their driving skills, 80 percent of people rated themselves as above-average drivers.

Also, people pretend to know more than they actually do because they don’t want to look stupid in front of others. So, even if someone doesn’t understand what’s being said or is just repeating the opinion he read in the newspaper, he nods and smiles. But it’s much better for one to admit that he doesn’t know something; this can actually increase his credibility. If a person is known as someone who admits that he knows nothing about a particular subject matter, other people are more likely to trust him when he claims that he does have knowledge on that topic.

Another advantage is that by being aware of what you don’t know, you can learn to figure it out. Experts are the worst at admitting they don’t know something because they’re more likely to bluff than admit their ignorance. Therefore, we should be careful about trusting experts blindly.