Fun fact: I have an anthropology degree. I don't use it, like, at all, and instead opted to immediately dive into healthcare instead of putting the fancy piece of paper I paid thousands of dollars for to good use. That said, I do love to pick up a good ethnography or other book based in social science every once in awhile.

That's where @amanda_montell comes in.

I was so ecstatic to receive an arc of this book. I've been a long time follower of the author, so this was essentially a "pinch me" moment.

Amanda's work is so incredibly approachable, and this book is no different. You definitely don't need a background in social sciences to understand what's going on here. Terms that are likely new to the reader are defined, and examples are based off relatable topics to most people. Taylor Swift, COVID, finding yourself swept up in a job that maybe wasn't your dream, imposter syndrome, and even relationships are all touched on to help bring Amanda's points to life. The book also features a number of personal anecdotes, which makes this book stand out from your typical academia where the author is supposed to be some mystic being who has no life outside of research.

Magical Thinking. What a topic. Especially in this age where we are bombarded by images on social media of manifesting things, willing it into existence, and maybe adding in a crystal here or there while burning some incense. This book was truly introspective, and I would definitely refer back to it again in the future.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to @netgalley for my Arc!

This book was sharp, thoughtful, and insightful. I feel less alone in my brain and now have a word to describe what I am often doing -magical overthinking. I appreciated the way Montell intertwined expert knowledge with her personal experience, allowing one to see how each chapter pertain to them.

I really liked this exploration of how our biases affect how we see culture and create culture. Montell is one of my favorite researchers. Her topics are timely. While easily digestible, her books always make me think.

Interesting and easy enough to read, but didn't seem overly connected or to have a conclusion. While I found the individual parts interesting, it wasn't very gripping to me. I wanted more out of it.

Amanda Montell's The Age of Magical Overthinking was a quick and interesting read. Weaving in interviews with professionals, psychological theories, and her own personal anecdotes, Montell keeps the reader engaged as she aptly describes the "magical overthinking" that we all fall victim to. At times a little slow, Montell's book is ultimately a fun read and will be adored by those who enjoyed her first two works, Cultish and Wordslut.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-ARC of this title.

I absolutely adore everything Amanda, Montell writes. She is my go to non-fiction author. I was obsessed with Cultish and the podcast Sounds Like A Cult. This is everything I like in one setting. Social science nonfiction that skews towards women’s interests is not as readily available as it should be. The Age of Magical Thinking is informative while being extremely entertaining. I would’ve read this book if it was triple the size….. I wish it was triple the size. There’s so much more I would love to know about this topic.

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm really torn on my feelings for this one. I really enjoyed Amanda Montell's previous book 'Cultish' and was very excited to pick this one up.

In The Age of Magical Overthinking, Montell describes multiple types of cognitive biases that we face today in the digital age - from celebrity worship to overactive fight or flight response. With each chapter covering a different topic, there were a lot of thought provoking ideas & topics for discussion.

Overall, this book felt like it was lacking a conclusion or overall connectivity between the chapters. A lot of the chapters almost felt incomplete & left me wishing there were more things said on particular topics. As with any collection of essays, stories, etc. some will be better than others and it's up to you to decide what you might enjoy.

Montell is certainly a talented author and this is a book that a lot of people will be able to resonate with and relate to - for me, it was just okay.

I haven’t read Cultish, but I’m familiar with Amanda Montell’s work. As a medieval history geek, I’ve had a bone to pick with Montell ever since her podcast, Sounds Like A Cult, released a wildly ahistorical episode on weddings that implied the origin of wedding bouquets was to disguise the smell of unwashed bodies (untrue, and irresponsible to claim “I’m just an entertainment podcast uwu” when you’re called out about it.) 

But, alas, against my better judgment, I prevailed.

As a Didion fan and someone whose own intrusive thoughts keep her up at night (hey ADHD gang!) I hoped I’d find something to appreciate here that I feel is lacking in Montell’s other work. Unfortunately, I have to agree with the claim that this gets into “Freakonomics territory”: the studies cited are often misinterpreted, the conclusions drawn are strange, and the writing style is trying to be chatty and ends up seeming childish. This seems less like a social science book than a memoir that is embarrassed of being a memoir. Later in the book, Montell confesses her own insecurity, and while I feel for her, I'm not surprised: insecurity bleeds through on every page.

Montell doesn’t seem to trust her readers’ intelligence: in her first chapter on parasocial relationships, she spends multiple pages defining the halo effect in excruciating detail. Her evidence is anecdotal; she gestures at studies but never goes beyond scratching the surface. The constant name-dropping of Los Angeles Literati feels crass (we get it; you have a lot of important, well-connected friends) and is another indicator that the author is way too present in a book that is, at least on paper, not a memoir. Montell is a linguist, not a sociologist. What about this subject made her want to write a whole book about it? Something about this book feels like a publisher mandate. It feels, for lack of a better word, soulless.

I don’t think you need a PhD to write a book like this, but I’m frustrated by the overwhelming tendency in social science nonfiction to prioritize books that “feel” correct over books that do careful, thoughtful work; ironically, books that feed into very cognitive biases that this book claims to be a refutation of. I don’t think Amanada is up to the academic rigor required by the subjects she studies. I'm not sure how well she even understands them. The never-ending asides, quips, and constant signposting are indications that this is an author who feels unsure of her ability to keep an audience interested in a subject; perhaps she herself isn’t even interested in it.  The chapters, short and quippy, barely introduce the topics of interest before it’s off to the races and a completely different theme. Each of the subjects here could be a whole book.

I could be generous and claim that Montell is writing for a general audience, but writing about pop culture doesn’t mean you have to write pop psychology. There are so many ways to engage with social science and bring in audiences who don’t have degrees in the fields you’re studying. Reading Magical Overthinking side-by-side with Claire Dederer’s excellent Monster: A Fan’s Dilemma was incredibly illuminating. One is a thoughtful, introspective look at media, culture and cognitive biases meant for scholars and casual fans alike. The other is the subject of this review.

(Review will be posted April 04)

As a big fan of “Cultish,” but not as fond of “Wordslut,” I was very curious to see how I would feel about this new one from her! The TLDR- I loved it! It was full of wit and humor while still giving some really useful information in easily receivable ways.

I did get confused at first since I thought this book was about magical thinking in the OCD way, since Montell has talked about her experience with that. Regardless, the information was still really applicable to me and interesting as well.

Nonfiction books are always hard to review for me, but the writing was stupendous and remained engaging the whole way through. I also loved the chapter titles.

This book was super eye opening and informative. It had me questioning some of my own behaviors, which I love! I’m all about growth. I loved reading about Amanda’s personal experiences as well.

Thank you so much to @atriabooks for this NetGalley advanced ereader’s copy of Amanda Montell’s newest work coming out on April 9th. I loved her book Cultish, and The Age of Magical Overthinking was also such a fun and interesting read. It was full of Montell’s usual great storytelling and exploration of humanity. She examines the cognitive biases we face as humans when confronted with a wealth of information. From our hero worship of Taylor Swift to staying in toxic relationships to our obsession with nostalgia, she delves into this topic with relatable human emotion, humor, and also academic exposition. I had a great time reading this one and definitely recommend this to someone who enjoys exploring about what it means to be human.

Amanda Montell provides an informative and entertaining exploration of the cognitive biases that affect our everyday lives. I really love her voice as a writer and the topics she explores and this was no exception. She writes in an easy to digest and entertaining way while still remaining informative.

I felt like this time she took a more personal and self reflective approach which lent itself well to what was being discussed. For fans of the podcast, Sounds Like a Cult, like me, it’s also fun to see some topics that have come up explored from a different angle like in the chapter on the halo effect. I also really enjoyed the chapter on The Life Changing Magic of Becoming a Mediocre Crafter and now want to see that infamous seat cushion!

If you’re a fan of the Sounds Like a Cult podcast or have enjoyed her previous books you won’t be disappointed. I would also recommend this to people looking for a fun informative read.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Atria Books. I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is set to be published April 9, 2024.

This is one of my most anticipated releases of 2024 and it did not disappoint. I first became acquainted with Amanda Montell through her podcast and her sophomore book Cultish. I though Cultish was amazing and have been patiently awaiting it's follow up.

In The Age of Magical Overthinking, Montell discusses different cognitive biases that we experience. She discusses biases like the halo effect (making positive assumptions about a person based on our impression of one of their traits), the sunk cost fallacy (spending resources on something justifies spending more of those resources, whether that be time/money/etc), and survivorship bias (focusing on positive outcomes and ignoring negative ones).

This is a resource heavy book with lots of footnotes and quotes but I think where this book is the strongest, are the places where Montell ties in her personal experiences with the research. Discussions of her mother in the halo effect chapter, an abusive relationship in the sunk cost fallacy chapter, and anecdotes about her current partner sprinkled throughout. I think Montell also excels at including real-world examples that help to make sense of what could be more confusing terminology/concepts.

Overall, I think this was a great read and I really look forward to see what she does next!

Amanda Montell is an author who is an instant buy for me, and her third book, The Age of Magical Overthinking, did not disappoint. In this book, Montell investigates different cognitive biases and the way that we go through and interact with the world around us. As always, she manages to mix the perfect amount of personal anecdotes, popular culture references, and academic research to produce an utterly delightful book. You will find yourself nodding along as she explains the things we do to cope with the world around us without really understanding why we do them. Highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and One Signal for an ARC of Amanda Montell’s upcoming release: The Age of Magical Overthinking

One again, Amanda curates the perfect deep dive for the millenial soul. I appreciate how Amanda is able to apply research and historical data while applying to today’s modern events.

Overall, this is a quick breezy read that will leave you thinking long after you put the book down for your next read.

Ever wondered how your brain works, and why you think the way you do? Or why other people put celebrities on a pedestal, are overconfident, or live in the past? Each chapter of Amanda Montell's latest book examines a different cognitive bias - what is it, what examples can you likely pull from your own life, and what do the experts say about it? It's an informative look at what makes us all tick, and serves as a good reminder to to question ourselves once in awhile before we end up on a spiral. It's accessible and informative, and you're sure to find examples cropping up in your daily life immediately (perhaps a bit of recency bias in action???).

I do feel this could've been pared down a bit - or perhaps digested in small chunks, a bias a day, to keep things interesting. But all around an interesting and informative addition to your bookshelf.

The mind is a wonderful, scary, powerful and vulnerable thing. I've always been interested by things like the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, which is when you learn or notice something new to you then seemingly inexplicably begin seeing that thing everywhere, and the Dunning–Kruger effect, when people with little knowledge on something greatly overestimate their abilities or knowledge on that thing or topic. As humans we are drawn to finding patterns, to finding meaning, to finding validation, and the hoops our brain will jump through to find those things is fascinating.

In her newest release, Amanda Montell discusses just under a dozen different cognitive biases, from the sunk cost fallacy to the halo effect, that perpetuate things like blame, overconfidence, irrationality and misinformation, and relates them to our current point-in-time predicaments and anxieties.

Each chapter of The Age of Magical Overthinking focuses on one particular cognitive bias and pulls from both scientific research that has been done on the psychological phenomena and personal anecdotes from the author. My favorite chapters were the ones on proportionality bias, the illusory truth effect, confirmation bias and the recency illusion.

This was an accessible & informative read that emboldens veracity while also encouraging awe.

If you enjoyed Montell's previous book, Cultish, I believe you will appreciate this one as well!

I give The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell 3.75 stars ⭐⭐⭐✨ (rounded up to 4 for NetGalley)

Thank you Atria Books / Simon & Schuster / NetGalley for this eARC! Pub Date: April 9th 2024

I’ve lost count of the amount of times in the last week I've said "that reminds me of the book I just read!" before launching into an anecdote from this book. I think I still enjoyed Wordslut more than this one, but considering how much I loved Wordslut, that’s hardly a criticism (it’s hard to top the subject matter of language and feminism in my mind). I think this book felt more meandering than her previous two books, which occasionally made it hard for me to follow the connecting thread in each chapter, but it also allowed for a lot of subject matter to be covered in a relatively short read. Amanda is such an entertaining author. She definitely has a way with words (makes sense for a linguist), and she finds a way to make even bleak topics have humor and heart. I like that she included more personal stories than she has in her previous books.

If you’ve ever spent an evening scrolling endlessly through the internet only to resurface hours later with many questions, namely “What is wrong with the world?” and “What is wrong with me?”, this book is for you.

Amanda Montell tackles the cognitive biases that define the modern moment. From people who stay in relationships way too long thanks to the sunk cost fallacy to those who look at the past with rose-colored glasses thanks to declinism. For every modern malady, Montell has a condition that explains it. There are no earth-shattering revelations in the book, but it’s entertaining and easily digestible.

I loved Montell's previous book, Cultish, so much!
And no surprise here, this one was pretty darn interesting. Montell returns with her witty and intelligent writing that had me chuckling and thinking in equal amounts.

The Age of Magical Overthinking dives into the psychological issues surrounding becoming a Stan for celebrities, conspiracy theories, numerous psychological biases, and examines mental health pushed by online influencers as well as -

Although this wasn't as intriguing of a read as Cultiah was for me, I did learn a lot, and of course with a cover like this I'll be wanting a copy for my shelves when it's published.