#314 – The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking with Matthew Hutson, MS

Matthew Hutson is the author of The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking: How Irrational Beliefs Keep Us Happy, Healthy, and Sane. He has a B.S. in cognitive neuroscience from Brown University and an M.S. in science writing from MIT. He’s a former editor at Psychology Today and has written for Wired, Discover, Scientific American Mind, Popular Mechanics, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and The New York Times Magazine. He lives in New York City.

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4 Comments

Richard Gray on July 25, 2012 at 7:51 pm

Matthew Hutson clearly does not adhere to basic scientific values nor is he a true skeptik. Matthew is a quiet and well presented dogmatic non-believer. There is no good scientific Psi research? Oh Puh-lease. I would refer him to the end notes of Dean Radin’s ‘Entangled Minds’ book – where he will find references to hundreds & hundreds & hundreds of trials and peer reviewed research reports and articles….
It’s disappointing that Matthew can write a book and position himself as an authority in the field yet remain so (purposely?) oblivious to so much it….
And Dr. Dave, whilst I always respect YOUR respect for your guests, methinks you let Matthew get off a little too easily this time!

shrink on July 26, 2012 at 9:44 am

Thanks, Richard. In fact, Dean Radin’s name is the one I was blocking on and wanted to bring into the conversation. Darn! I appreciate you bringing it up here. And I respect your opinion about me letting Matthew off too easily. 🙂

Jay on August 1, 2012 at 12:55 am

I am in complete agreement with Richard’s comment. It’s disgraceful how these self proclaimed skeptics ignore the hard work of generations of researchers so as to not have their worldview disturbed. For a whole podcast based on this and surrounding issues, check out Alex Tsakiris’s skeptiko.com . Although he is not a psychologist, he would make a great guest on shrink rap radio.

Laura on December 4, 2012 at 3:09 pm

Even without knowing about all the research mentioned above, I had to stop listening because Matthew was just too certain of his own conclusions. I never heard any doubts about his radical statements. How can he be so certain that there isn’t some yet unknown explanation of prayer, voodoo, or other “magic.” True skepticism can be skeptical of their own biases too.

Richard Gray on July 25, 2012 at 7:51 pm

Matthew Hutson clearly does not adhere to basic scientific values nor is he a true skeptik. Matthew is a quiet and well presented dogmatic non-believer. There is no good scientific Psi research? Oh Puh-lease. I would refer him to the end notes of Dean Radin’s ‘Entangled Minds’ book – where he will find references to hundreds & hundreds & hundreds of trials and peer reviewed research reports and articles….
It’s disappointing that Matthew can write a book and position himself as an authority in the field yet remain so (purposely?) oblivious to so much it….
And Dr. Dave, whilst I always respect YOUR respect for your guests, methinks you let Matthew get off a little too easily this time!
shrink on July 26, 2012 at 9:44 am

Thanks, Richard. In fact, Dean Radin’s name is the one I was blocking on and wanted to bring into the conversation. Darn! I appreciate you bringing it up here. And I respect your opinion about me letting Matthew off too easily. 🙂
Jay on August 1, 2012 at 12:55 am

I am in complete agreement with Richard’s comment. It’s disgraceful how these self proclaimed skeptics ignore the hard work of generations of researchers so as to not have their worldview disturbed. For a whole podcast based on this and surrounding issues, check out Alex Tsakiris’s skeptiko.com . Although he is not a psychologist, he would make a great guest on shrink rap radio.
Laura on December 4, 2012 at 3:09 pm

Even without knowing about all the research mentioned above, I had to stop listening because Matthew was just too certain of his own conclusions. I never heard any doubts about his radical statements. How can he be so certain that there isn’t some yet unknown explanation of prayer, voodoo, or other “magic.” True skepticism can be skeptical of their own biases too.