Two new novels explore a world where technology has even greater access to our minds

Why and how do people justify their questionable actions and big mistakes? In Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me), social psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson argue that we self-justify to relieve cognitive dissonance: discomfort triggered when we do things that don’t align with our other beliefs, actions, and values. They examine several unconscious processes we use to reduce the discomfort of cognitive dissonance, including self-justification, confirmation bias, and memory distortion. By learning about these psychological processes, you can unlock awareness of them in your own life and begin taking accountability for your actions.

In this guide, you’ll learn how contradictory thoughts and behaviors create painful dissonance. We’ll also discuss how self-justification, confirmation bias, and memory distortion help us relieve dissonance. Finally, we’ll discuss how the authors suggest we can break the cycle of self-justification and hold ourselves accountable for our uncomfortable actions. In our commentary, we’ll discuss healthier strategies you can use to deal with dissonance and explore some of the neurological processes that drive self-justifying behavior.

Have you ever struggled to remember someone’s name at a party or forgotten where you parked your car? Are you worried that a memory lapse is a sign of Alzheimer’s? In Remember, neuroscientist and novelist Lisa Genova explores the complexity of human memory: She explains how memories are formed in the brain, what factors influence memory, and how understanding the science behind memory can help us better navigate both remembering and forgetting in our daily lives. She also reassures us that many types of forgetting are perfectly normal and even beneficial for cognitive function.

In our guide, we’ll first explore the types of memory, then we’ll discuss how memories are formed and how memory sometimes fails us. We’ll also discuss the impact of stress on memories, and we’ll provide some tips for how to improve your memory—as well as how to forget. In our commentary, we’ll add other theories and research to supplement Genova’s ideas, as well as tips for how to apply her advice.

In The Art of Thinking Clearly, Rolf Dobelli breaks down the most common logical fallacies that inhibit decision-making, including confirmation bias, social proof, and hindsight bias. Dobelli aims to help people recognize and overcome these fallacies so they can make better decisions.

In this guide, we’ll explore Dobelli’s main fallacies, including those caused by humanity’s past as hunter-gatherers and those caused by other sources such as misinterpretation of cause and effect. Along the way, we’ll compare and contrast Dobelli’s ideas with other experts on logical thinking, such as Nassim Nicholas Taleb and Daniel Kahneman. We’ll also provide concrete steps to overcome illogical thinking and explore why logical fallacies occur.

Are you aware that you’re being watched by big tech companies? In The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Shoshana Zuboff explores the concept and consequences of “surveillance capitalism”—a term she created to describe the invasive and controlling data collection practices that tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook have adopted to maximize their profits. By learning about these practices, you’ll be better equipped to protect your privacy and fight to protect the privacy of us all.

In this guide, we’ll explore what surveillance capitalism is, how it’s been able to thrive despite growing opposition, and what we can do to prevent it from destroying our freedom and democracy. We’ll also expand on Zuboff’s ideas by suggesting counterarguments to some of her claims, adding context where possible to enhance understanding, providing updated examples of tech companies’ actions, and recommending concrete steps you can take to combat surveillance capitalism.

Are you aware that you’re being watched by big tech companies? In The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Shoshana Zuboff explores the concept and consequences of “surveillance capitalism”—a term she created to describe the invasive and controlling data collection practices that tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook have adopted to maximize their profits. By learning about these practices, you’ll be better equipped to protect your privacy and fight to protect the privacy of us all.

In this guide, we’ll explore what surveillance capitalism is, how it’s been able to thrive despite growing opposition, and what we can do to prevent it from destroying our freedom and democracy. We’ll also expand on Zuboff’s ideas by suggesting counterarguments to some of her claims, adding context where possible to enhance understanding, providing updated examples of tech companies’ actions, and recommending concrete steps you can take to combat surveillance capitalism.

In Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming, Stephen LaBerge, psychophysiologist and lucid dream researcher, and Howard Rheingold, writer and communication media specialist, investigate the transformative power of lucid dreaming—the ability to “wake up” in your dreams and consciously control your dream world. They write that through lucid dreaming, the ordinary boundaries of reality dissolve, opening up a realm where you can indulge your fantasies, enhance your mental flexibility, learn new skills, overcome your fears, solve problems creatively, and more.

In this guide, we’ll outline the authors’ techniques for mastering lucid dreaming and explore the many ways lucid dreaming can improve your waking life. We’ll also provide additional context to help you better understand the book’s concepts, comparing the authors’ recommendations and insights to those of other lucid dreaming experts, as well as psychologists, neuroscientists, and self-help experts.

In 2013, whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the existence of STELLARWIND, the US government’s mass surveillance program. Until Snowden revealed the program, the US government was recording the phone and computer activities of nearly everyone in the world.

In Permanent Record, Snowden explains how he became involved with the government, how he learned about the mass surveillance program, and how he ultimately made the decision to speak up—a decision that would change his life, and the lives of everyone who uses the Internet, forever.