In the book, Loserthink: How Untrained Brains Are Ruining America, Scott Adams analyzed and discussed ways to teach us how to eliminate our biases and to sharpen our ability to think critically.

These are some of my favorite quotes and takeaways from reading the book.

How can we minimize our tendency for Loserthink by not copying things that pundits say?

What to watch out for: Moral Equivalency

“If you are accusing someone of making inappropriate morel equivalences, you are probably experiencing Loserthink of the mind reader variety.”

What to watch out for: Word-Thinking

“If your only complaint about another person’s behavior is that it might normalize something, you might not have any reasons to back your opinion.”

“If you find yourself calling a plan problematic and you can’t give some reasonable-sounding examples to back up your opinion, you might be engaging loserthink.”

What to watch out for: The Hypocrisy Defense

“If you make a mistake and your best response is that other people do similar things, you are engaging in loserthink.”

What to watch out for: Fairness

“Arguing for fairness is loserthink because no two people will agree on what it looks like. The exception is when you are trying to persuade, in which case rationality matters less.”

What to watch out for: Feels-The-Same

“If you find that your best argument depends on the predictive or persuasive characteristics of analogies, you are likely in a mental prison of your own making.”

What to watch out for: Friction

“Add friction to any human choice will reduce the number of people making that choice. To assume otherwise is loserthink.”

What to watch out for: Mentioning Is Not Comparing

“If two or more items are mentioned in the same conversation, that doesn’t mean anyone is comparing them for relative value.”

What to watch out for: “Do Your Own Research”

“For big, complicated political questions, “doing your own research” is a waste of time.”

What to watch out for: “Be Yourself”

“Never be yourself if you can make yourself into something better through your conscious actions. You are what you do.”

What to watch out for: “Coward!”

“It is loserthink to call people cowards after those people risked their lives for a cause.”

What to watch out for: “Apologist!” and Words Like That

“If your response to a disagreement is to assign your opponent a dismissive label, you have surrendered the moral and intellectual high ground to wallow in loserthink.”

What to watch out for: “Why Didn’t You Do It Sooner?”

“If someone does something you appreciate, it is loserthink to ask why it didn’t happen sooner.”

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