Statistically, couples who have lavish weddings are less likely to get divorced. Why? It’s just that wealthy people have fewer reasons for quarrels than poor people, and it’s less profitable for them to get a divorce. That is, there is no direct connection between the size of the party and the likelihood of divorce, but there is an unobvious third factor that explains everything. Our life is full of such hidden factors, and our brain likes to simplify reality by linking unrelated things. World-renowned psychologist Richard Nisbett explains why simple answers lead to bad decisions and fatal mistakes. The good news is that each of us is capable of not being fooled by the tricks of “common sense” and learning to think clearly and critically. According to Nisbett, “the best life in the modern world is simply not available to you without a basic knowledge of statistics and logic.” The author gives the reader a whole arsenal of ways to solve life's problems and make the right decisions in difficult situations. And he does it so elegantly and captivatingly that every humanist will appreciate it.