Don’t Trust Your Gut by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz Summary
Overview of Don’t Trust Your Gut
Forget intuition - Seth Stephens-Davidowitz's data-driven manifesto reveals why your gut is sabotaging you. Endorsed by "Freakonomics" co-author Steven Levitt as "the best data storyteller" he's met, this book uses massive datasets to answer life's biggest questions. What counterintuitive truth about success might change everything?
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Key takeaways
Your Gut Lies to You More Than You Think
We like to believe our instincts guide us toward good decisions. We trust the flutter in our chest when we meet someone new, the certainty we feel about our career path, the conviction that we know what will make us happy. But what if nearly every major choice you've made-who you dated, where you lived, how you spent your time-was guided by intuitions that were fundamentally wrong? The uncomfortable truth emerging from massive datasets is this: human intuition, refined over millions of years to help us survive on the savanna, is remarkably bad at navigating modern life's most important decisions. When researchers analyzed millions of data points on relationships, careers, and happiness, they discovered something unsettling. The qualities we desperately seek in romantic partners barely predict relationship satisfaction. The business ideas that excite us most tend to fail fastest. The activities we think will make us happy often leave us miserable. Our guts, it turns out, are terrible advisors. But here's the liberating part-we now have something better.
The Dating Market Is Rigged Against Happiness
Your Neighborhood Shapes Your Child's Future More Than Anything Else
The Genetic Lottery, Sports Nobody Plays, and Boring Businesses That Create Millionaires
The Myth of the Young Genius Entrepreneur
The Hidden Mathematics of Getting Lucky
What Actually Makes Us Happy Will Surprise You
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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