The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking Audiobook By Matthew Hutson cover art

The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking

How Irrational Beliefs Keep Us Happy, Healthy, and Sane

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking

By: Matthew Hutson
Narrated by: Matthew Hutson, Don Hagen
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.78

Buy for $25.78

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

In this witty and perceptive debut, a former editor at Psychology Today shows us how magical thinking makes life worth living.

Psychologists have documented a litany of cognitive biases - misperceptions of the world - and explained their positive functions. Now, Matthew Hutson shows us that even the most hardcore skeptic indulges in magical thinking all the time - and it's crucial to our survival.

Drawing on evolution, cognitive science, and neuroscience, Hutson shows us that magical thinking has been so useful to us that it's hardwired into our brains. It encourages us to think that we actually have free will. It helps make us believe that we have an underlying purpose in the world. It can even protect us from the paralyzing awareness of our own mortality. In other words, magical thinking is a completely irrational way of making our lives make rational sense.

With wonderfully entertaining stories, personal reflections, and sharp observations, Hutson reveals our deepest fears and longings.

©2012 Matthew Hutson (P)2012 Gildan Media, LLC Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Magic Health Human Brain

Listeners also enjoyed...
Nobody's Fool Audiobook By Daniel Simons, Christopher Chabris cover art
Nobody's Fool By: Daniel Simons, and others
Hidden Potential Audiobook By Adam Grant cover art
Hidden Potential By: Adam Grant
Being Wrong Audiobook By Kathryn Schulz cover art
Being Wrong By: Kathryn Schulz
Determined Audiobook By Robert M. Sapolsky cover art
Determined By: Robert M. Sapolsky
The Saad Truth About Happiness Audiobook By Gad Saad cover art
The Saad Truth About Happiness By: Gad Saad
You Are Now Less Dumb Audiobook By David McRaney cover art
You Are Now Less Dumb By: David McRaney
Same as Ever Audiobook By Morgan Housel cover art
Same as Ever By: Morgan Housel
The Improbability Principle Audiobook By David J. Hand cover art
The Improbability Principle By: David J. Hand
The Experience Machine Audiobook By Andy Clark cover art
The Experience Machine By: Andy Clark
Predictably Irrational Audiobook By Dan Ariely cover art
Predictably Irrational By: Dan Ariely
Hidden Games Audiobook By Erez Yoeli, Moshe Hoffman cover art
Hidden Games By: Erez Yoeli, and others
The Extended Mind Audiobook By Annie Murphy Paul cover art
The Extended Mind By: Annie Murphy Paul
The Status Game Audiobook By Will Storr cover art
The Status Game By: Will Storr
You Are Not So Smart Audiobook By David McRaney cover art
You Are Not So Smart By: David McRaney
Fundamentals Audiobook By Frank Wilczek cover art
Fundamentals By: Frank Wilczek
Psych Audiobook By Paul Bloom cover art
Psych By: Paul Bloom
Outsmart Your Brain Audiobook By Daniel T. Willingham Ph.D cover art
Outsmart Your Brain By: Daniel T. Willingham Ph.D
Wanting Audiobook By Luke Burgis cover art
Wanting By: Luke Burgis
A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence Audiobook By Michael Wooldridge cover art
A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence By: Michael Wooldridge
The Happiness Hypothesis Audiobook By Jonathan Haidt cover art
The Happiness Hypothesis By: Jonathan Haidt
Most relevant  
This book, to me, was a convergence of philosophy and modern psychology. That with Don Hagen as narrator, made this audio book extremely enjoyable. I'm adding it to my favorites list.

Love it when philosophy converges

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
To be laughing good naturedly, and with new insight, at the follies of myself and those around me, in the good company of the puckish-voiced narrator Don Hagen, this is the joy of audiobooks for me.

The light step of wit and intellect, what fun

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Mr. Hutson may be concerned about spurning readers from both the sceptical and magical ways of inclined thinking. However, I found his book a fascinating audiobook and plan to buy a hard copy as well. The sheer information of psychology, sociology, and philosophical context provides a great center piece in opening the doors of perception. His personal accounts are aptly applied throughout the book, and quickly return to each chapters essence and view. I am not one to generally write reviews, but this book impressed me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Hopefully he writes a part 2/sequel if it's not already out there or in the works.

A True Pleasure

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I’m a huge supporter of logic and reason.
I also find magical thinking interesting, and there is some great info here.
The problem I have, is the author is so condescending throughout the book. A real hard listen.
The fact that he cant conceive why someone would hold onto a tactile item of a loved one, or why someone would want to see or touch an item that was part of history — outside of viewing it as a magical totem, is really absurd.

Frustrating listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was a fun listen. Interesting psych experiments peppered with funny stories and weaved together by a witty and charmingly nonchalant tour guide. Don Hagen's weighty yet playful narration set the perfect tone for this quirky romp through the science of magical thinking. If you like psychology books, you'll definitely enjoy this.

Highly enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Maybe it was the narrator, it was the subject matter, maybe I just wasn't as into it as I thought I would be. Overall a C+ not terrible, not great.

Meh

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you listen to The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking again? Why?

I highly recommend this book in audio format, as its presentation is engaging and the ideas are embedded in stories at a leisurely pace. Worldview shifting as well as entertaining.

Any additional comments?

What this book helped me realize was that the most rational stance for humanists and freethinkers is not to work towards eliminating magical thinking in themselves and their children, but to knowingly harness these powerful instincts -- instincts that well served our ancestors! Magical thinking will not be eliminated, so let's use it playfully, pragmatically, and in ways that enhance our lives and relationships.

A must-read for humanists and freethinkers

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The book is very interesting, and it touches on a lot of important concepts. But it spends a lot of time covering different ideas and concepts and kind of gets confused and doesn't really stick to a single theme. The idea that we all use and have "magical thinking" is deep, but the actual definition that the author uses seems to confuse what we actually believe and what we do; for instance, I personally do not believe in Jesus as a God – never have and never will, yet I use the phrase "thank you Jesus!" to express relief regarding a tense situation. Is this "magical thinking?" I think not, but I'm not sure from the book whether it is considered so by the author, contributing to the lack of overall cohesiveness. On the other hand, it opens up a train of thought to the reader that helps determine where the magical beliefs lie, and where the reader is kidding him/her self. It was a worthwhile read, but I think the author needs to rethink the actual message and what he is trying to convey, and how he wants it conveyed.
(Submitted on GoodRodReads)

How important is, and what is the role of, "magical thinking"?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.