The Quick Fix

Why Fad Psychology Can't Cure Our Social Ills

By: Jesse Singal

Narrated by: Jesse Singal

This program is read by the author.

An investigative journalist exposes the many holes in today’s best-selling behavioral science, and argues that the trendy, TED-Talk-friendly psychological interventions that are so in vogue at the moment will never be enough to truly address social injustice and inequality.

With their viral TED talks, best-selling books, and counter-intuitive remedies for complicated problems, psychologists and other social scientists have become the reigning thinkers of our time. Grit and “power posing” promised to help overcome entrenched inequalities in schools and the workplace; the Army spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a positive psychology intervention geared at preventing PTSD in its combat soldiers; and the implicit association test swept the nation on the strength of the claim that it can reveal unconscious biases and reduce racism in police departments and human resources departments.

But what if much of the science underlying these blockbuster ideas is dubious or fallacious? What if Americans’ longstanding preference for simplistic self-help platitudes is exerting a pernicious influence on the way behavioral science is communicated and even funded, leading respected academics and the media astray?

In The Quick Fix, Jesse Singal examines the most influential ideas of recent decades and the shaky science that supports them. He begins with the California legislator who introduced self-esteem into classrooms around the country in the 1980s and the Princeton political scientist who warned of an epidemic of youthful “superpredators” in the 1990s. In both cases, a much-touted idea had little basis in reality, but had a massive impact. Turning toward the explosive popularity of 21st-century social psychology, Singal examines the misleading appeal of entertaining lab results and critiques the idea that subtle unconscious cues shape our behavior. As he shows, today’s popular behavioral science emphasizes repairing, improving, and optimizing individuals rather than truly understanding and confronting the larger structural forces that drive social ills.

Like Anand Giridharadas’s Winners Take All, The Quick Fix is a fresh and powerful indictment of the thought leaders and influencers who cut corners as they sell the public half-baked solutions to problems that deserve more serious treatment.

A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

©2021 Jesse Singal (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Excellent, entertaining review of the literature

Signal reviews the lit on the replication crisis with compelling examples, without falling into the pop psych trap of sacrificing truth for narrative clarity. Would recommend to anyone, especially fans or the Blocked and Reported podcast.

Much Needed Science and Skepticism Amid Endless Puffery

Singal nearly undoes decades of fast-tracked, half-baked ideas and pop-psych fads that were able to run wild in America. Thanks, in large part, to our desperation to solve complex problems and overcome impossible odds to achieve success. But the devil is in the details, and non-replicated studies that produce inaccurate views of the world can have serious opportunity costs for discernible, lasting changes for individuals and society. Singal expertly dodges the trap of partisanship here in dismantling several pop psychology’s most sacred cows of the 20th and 21st century. A must read for anyone who suspects Americans are drowning in a swamp of “easy answers” at the cost of real progress.

Fascinating insights

I'm a much better-educated interpreter of social science thanks to Jesse Singal. "The Quick Fix" explains the shortcomings in our headlines and how social scientists sometimes, the media most times, over hype research. Simple examples illustrate some of the oft used methods for disinformation, making it possible for me to ask better questions in future social science research.

good stuff

solid and fair takedown of fad psychology and social science.
narration is good too, Singal's voice sounds like he has wine corks stuffed up his nostrils but you get used to it.

Great!

I subscribe to Jesse's substack and listen to Blocked & Reported, and I didn't feel like this was repeated material. Even if it was, it was nice to have it nicely organized. It was well researched, and a great listen!

Clear, even-handed look at recent pop psychology

While I'm sure I would disagree with the author on many political topics, I would absolutely trust him to fairly evaluate the merits of both sides of any particular argument. This book does exactly what it says it does, and in a very clear and effective manner. As a side note, I happened to find the author's chapter on the implicit association test the clearest argument regarding the prevalence of systemic racism that I've encountered. Recommended.

This is why you hire professional narrators

Great book, substandard narration. Monotone etc. Buy the book (kindle or print )instead. You won’t regret it

Sanjay sent me

Very thoughtful and honest discussion of seldom looked into topics. Thank you Jesse! Was going to get it anyway but felt inclined to do it sooner at Sanjay’s recommendation.

Swimming Against The Current

Jesse is willing to swim against the current of mainstream psychology and reveal how many of these half-baked findings from psychology have not brought about the desired effects they claimed would occur. He seems to be a voice of reason in a world that has gone mad in seeking to create the latest fad to cure the world of its ills.

Must-listen

One of those books everyone should read/listen to, to ensure their critical thinking skills remain sharp and to remember to question what we're told.