Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger BregmanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is about many things.
But it is really about one thing: the Nocebo Effect.
Complementary to the more famous placebo effect, the nocebo effect occurs when the subject anticipates a negative experience as a result to exposure to some stimuli. The nocebo effect will cause the subject to experience more negative effect than they would normally have.
This book presents the idea that our negative view of human behaviour is a result of the nocebo effect imposed upon us by popular media and news.
After reading this book, I made a vow (as part of my yearly vows) not to indulge myself in news again. Instead, as per the recommendation of the author, I will read 'a more nuanced Sunday paper and in-depth feature writing' instead.
P.S. This book will invalidate your entire world view if you are the Machiavellian type.
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