A review by cdubiel
How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion, by David McRaney

5.0

I read both of McRaney's previous books and enjoyed the journeys they took through typical cognitive fallacies. It is good to occasionally flip one's thinking upside down, and McRaney does this in a deep and intuitive way in this book. McRaney wanted to find out how people with strong convictions flipped over into a new way of thinking. He examines Deep Canvassing and Social Epistomology, two different ways of talking with and listening to people so they can understand others' perspectives. He talks to people like Megan Phelps-Roper, who left the Westboro Baptist Church (and has her own book, UNFOLLOW). He also talks with Charlie Veitch, a 9/11 conspiracy theorist who changed his mind after being on a television show that connected him with the victims' families. I liked the idea of a "tipping point" - people may invite a few new ideas in, then slowly add more until they are fully on the new side and want to know everything about it. I think many of us can relate to this, even if it's just about something innocuous like discovering a hobby or a new author to read. This book leans left, so if you're a die-hard conservative, it may not resonate with you. But who knows... something might change your mind.