Table Of ContentUNDERSTANDING THE
HUMAN MIND
Drawing on current research in anthropology, cognitive psychology, neuro-
science, and the humanities, Understanding the Human Mind explores how and
why we, as humans, find it so easy to believe we are right—even when we are
outright wrong.
Humans live out their own lives effectively trapped in their own mind and,
despite being exceptional survivors and a highly social species, our inner men-
tal world is often misaligned with reality. In order to understand why, John Ed-
ward Terrell and Gabriel Stowe Terrell suggest current dual-process models of
the mind overlook our mind’s most decisive and unpredictable mode: creativity.
Using a three-dimensional model of the mind, the authors examine the human
struggle to stay in touch with reality—how we succeed, how we fail, and how
winning this struggle is key to our survival in an age of mounting social prob-
lems of our own making.
Using news stories of logic-defying behavior, analogies to famous fictitious
characters, and analysis of evolutionary and cognitive psychology theory, this
fascinating account of how the mind works is a must-read for all interested in
anthropology and cognitive psychology.
John Edward Terrell is internationally known for his pioneering research and
publications on human biological and cultural diversity, social network analy-
sis, human biogeography, and the peopling and prehistory of the Pacific Islands.
Gabriel Stowe Terrell is studying industrial relations with an emphasis on
conflict resolution techniques, organizational behavior, and labor history.
“Why are humans so good at self-deception? What does that remarkable abil-
ity mean for our future on this planet? Terrell and Terrell provide a brilliantly
provocative and honest assessment of the human condition and mind. Weaving
insights from various scientific disciplines, from anthropology to neuroscience,
they compellingly argue that evolution has bestowed humans with a handful
of advantages, advantages that imperil humanity as a whole. This book is a
remarkable achievement given both the breadth and complexity of ideas con-
tained within, and their fidelity to those ideas in making them digestible and
resonant with non-experts. It is a must read.”
— Lane Beckes, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neuroscience
and Psychology, Bradley University
“Explorers Terrell and Terrell take us on a guided tour of our own minds and
the marvelous advantages and hidden uncertainties of our human commit-
ment to social life. Informed by contemporary psychology and neuroscience,
the Terrells’ collaboration offers original insights and perspectives on human
nature and the future of our species illustrated using familiar, everyday expe-
riences and stories. As a practicing psychologist, I think readers will benefit
personally from the wellspring of meaning that flows from “knowing thyself”
in this illuminating way. The compelling conclusion asks us to consider “Do I
need to do something? Should I look again?”—to which I would add “Should I read
this book?” Yes, yes, and again yes.”
— Thomas L. Clark, Ph.D., psychologist in
private practice, Tallahassee FL
“Terrell and Terrell draw upon deep time, trans-oceanic cultural research, and
inter-generational cooperation in this bold, vivid work on self-persuasion and
delusion. Brain function, social process, and ideology come together here in
evolutionary perspective as the same topic in fresh, smooth prose, recruiting
familiar characters from fiction. This engaging but humbling study contends
that human creative thinking—including selective perception, logical reason-
ing, and dreaming—is also dangerous thinking. It urges us to recheck our own
accruing presumptions, showing why it’s vital we do.”
— Parker Shipton, Ph.D., Professor, Department of
Anthropology, Research Fellow, African Studies Center,
Boston University
UNDERSTANDING THE
HUMAN MIND
Why You Shouldn’t Trust What
Your Brain is Telling You
John Edward Terrell and Gabriel Stowe Terrell
First published 2020
by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2020 Taylor & Francis
The right of John Edward Terrell and Gabriel Stowe Terrell to
be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in
accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this title has been requested
ISBN: 978-0-367-85580-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-85578-9 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-01376-1 (ebk)
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QUESTION
Why are all of us so good at believing what we want to believe
(even when we don’t know we want to believe it)?
Taylor & Francis
Taylor & Francis Group
http://taylorandfrancis.com
CONTENTS
List of Figures ix
Acknowledgements: The Powers of More than Two xi
Getting Started 1
1 How Your Mind Works: Travels in Wonderland 4
2 Models of the Human Mind: How Do We Think About
Thinking? 13
3 Human Failings in Reasoning: Why Do You
Trust Yourself? 24
4 The Great Human High-Five Advantage: What Makes
Us Human? 40
5 The Brain As a Pattern Recognition Device: How Do
You Know That? 54
6 The Brain As a Pattern Learning Device: Why Do We
Have Habits? 66
7 The Brain As a Pattern Making Device: What Makes Us
Creative? 77
viii Contents
8 The Impact of Creativity: How Did You Learn That? 91
9 Lies, Deceit, and Self-Deception: How Gullible Are You? 102
10 Human Isolation and Loneliness: Private Lives and
Public Duties 115
11 Pros and Cons of Being Human: The War of the Worlds 125
12 Making Sense of Our Future Prospects: Are We an
Endangered Species? 138
Index 151
FIGURES
2.1 Mr Sherlock Holmes (Credit: Strand Magazine, 1892) 17
2.2 George Edward Challenger (Credit: Chronicle/Alamy
Stock Photo) 18
2.3 Alice and her cat Dinah (Credit: John Tennial, 1871) 21
4.1 The high-five advantage 43
11.1 SWOT matrix (Credit: adapted from SWOT analysis
diagram in English Language by Xhienne) 128
12.1 Extinct “Irish elks” (Megaloceros giganteus) on display at
the Natural History Museum (Músaem Stair an Dúlra) in
downtown Dublin, Ireland 139
