You Are Not So Smart

David McRaney built this podcast on a humbling premise: your brain is lying to you, and it is doing it constantly. You Are Not So Smart explores the psychology of reasoning, cognitive biases, and decision-making — all the ways human minds take shortcuts that feel rational but lead us astray. McRaney interviews researchers, psychologists, and authors in episodes that typically run 45 minutes to an hour and 20 minutes, releasing twice a month. The show has produced 330 episodes and holds a 4.5-star rating from about 1,700 reviews. McRaney is not a passive interviewer. He brings substantial knowledge to each conversation and pushes back when claims get too broad, which gives the discussions a collaborative feel rather than the standard question-and-answer rhythm. The topics range from confirmation bias and the backfire effect to moral psychology and the science of persuasion. His bestselling books grew from this podcast, and the influence runs both ways — the show benefits from the depth of research he puts into his writing. For anyone interested in understanding why people (including yourself) believe what they believe and do what they do, this is one of the most focused and rewarding shows available. It will make you more skeptical of your own certainty, and that alone makes it worth the time.