Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior

I wanted to like this course

I have listened to hundreds of The Great Courses, starting back in the days of The Teaching Company, and it is rare for me to come across a course that doesn't enlighten. This was one.

This course seemed as it if were directed at high school freshman. Common terms were explained, which I felt was unnecessary. Professor Leary seems to paint with a broad brush, drawing conclusions from sweeping generalities.

I had trouble with the oft repeated "studies show" and "research shows." To me, such vagary lends very little weight to the words that follow them. What study? By whom? As we all know, data can be cherry-picked to support almost any view.

Perhaps listeners interested in human behavior might prefer courses by Robert Sapolsky or Patrick Grim.

179 people found this helpful

Nowhere near the depth of typical Great Courses

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Someone who is interested in psychology using this as the very first introduction. The lecturer did a fantastic job with voice modulation and enthusiasm, so I waited a long time for it to improve.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The course sounds fascinating, but it doesn't even go into the depth of a high school biology course when evoking biological explanations. The psychology and neurology were of similar disappointments

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment in the level and material

Any additional comments?

The Great Courses typically provide a great college lecture set finding a good level of depth and interest. One lump of coal in the diamonds.

167 people found this helpful

It's average but not exciting

Material not in-depth enough for my taste. Fine if you just want a brief overview.

22 people found this helpful

So disappointing

This book makes it clear that this guy has very little understanding of logic, reasoning and the scientific method.

Starts in chapter one. He is talking about evolutionary psychology and it's consequences. We have this fears of snakes that we have inherited from our ancestors. Until here all good. Then he explains that we are more scared of snakes than of cars. According to him this fear is irrational because way more people die in car accidents than from snake bites every year...
This has to be over of the most basic logical fallacies. According to this argument we should be more scared of getting in a car than of getting into a rocket because way more people die from car accidents than from accidents from rocket launches.

This is an example from chapter one, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. As the book progresses he keeps using this kind of bogus examples, but rarely enough that I didn't just quit.

Then he reaches the chapter on the paranormal... I was blown away. He uses discredited studies from decades ago that have not been successfully replicated. I actually laughed out loud when he quoted "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". Indeed my friend, indeed. A few studies performed decades ago which can't even be replicated don't qualify as even the most modest evidence. I am all for publishing these studies when they appear. But dedicating a whole chapter in an introductory course to psychology is just plain sad. Forcing this stuff on students of a top University in the US is just unreal.

5 people found this helpful

Fascinating and Enlighting Insights

What made the experience of listening to Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior the most enjoyable?

What I liked most was the way he explained topics. It helped me to have new insights. He shared some great insights on some commonly held beliefs about how people find happiness. His analysis of how we behave in society, communicate and see ourselves was very interesting. He debunks some widely held ideas with strong, logical argument. It's interesting to see how often popular ideas on self-help are close, but not quite right. For example, the popular belief that if we can just instill in a person more self esteem, they will act and think in a more positive way. He points out that it's an individuals positive actions, that are socially valued, constructive and helpful to others, that create the persons self esteem, not creating more self esteem in the person creating more positive behavior. I love the insights I am getting from the lectures. Worth the purchase price to me.

What did you like best about this story?

The descriptions were interesting and I had many "I see!" moments.

What about Professor Mark Leary’s performance did you like?

Interested in what he is talking about makes him interesting to listen to for the audience.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Couple "I can relate" laughs. :-)

Any additional comments?

A really good combination of recreational, enjoyed listening and informational, I learned new things I can apply in life.

46 people found this helpful

The title of the book is SPOT ON

Where does Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

For understanding human behavior, it is at the top of the list, a must have for anyone interested in why people behave and feel the way they do and the purposes those behaviors and feelings are trying to serve that compels us to do them.

Any additional comments?

I'll keep this simple, this is a MUST have book on human behavior and psychology, the most clear and intuitive explanations I have heard from any teacher. Not only that but he achieves a perfect balance of keeping it simple and easy to understand with giving the evidence and proofs for why those things are thought to be correct. This is a book I will listen to more than once.

28 people found this helpful

Not so enlightening

I expected more from this book! I was aware of most of these theories and I don't consider myself very educated about psychology in general. Radiolab and a few readings of Scientific American Minds provided me we much more. But probably a good introduction for anyone without a scientific culture. I'd recommend it to people who might be skeptical of science as it makes a good point for evolution.

13 people found this helpful

The best money i've ever spent

Would you listen to Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior again? Why?

I plan to listen to this book a number of times. The amount of insight and knowledge that I've gain from this is astounding.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior?

The lectures are put together so that topics being presented in a chapter, build on the chapter before. A very good and clear way to communicate what is being said so that it is understood perfectly.

Any additional comments?

This book brought an incredible amount of insight on why we do what we do and why we do it the way we do it. I've been looking for a book like this for a long time and I think Prof Leary has put together something incredible in this audiobook. I hope to read more of his books in the future.

32 people found this helpful

Interesting lectures

If you could sum up Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior in three words, what would they be?

enlightening
Linear
Entertaining

If you’ve listened to books by The Great Courses before, how does this one compare?

This is a good course. The only issue is identifying the lectures in one continuous file. A better breakdown like the other courses is needed.

18 people found this helpful

Good but too long

It's a 12 hour lecture which could have been summarized into around 7 hours. He rambles a lot and repeats himself.

2 people found this helpful