The Quick Fix: Why Fad Psychology Can't Cure Our Social Ills

Through their viral TED Talks, bestselling books, and counterintuitive remedies for complicated problems, psychologists and allied social scientists have become leading thinkers of our time. But what if much of the science underlying ideas about "grit," unconscious bias, and other popular subjects is dubious or fallacious? What if the long-standing 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 misleading appeal of entertaining lab results and critiques the idea that the subtle unconscious cues known as "primes" shape our behavior. As he shows, today's popular behavioral science emphasizes repairing, improving, and optimizing individuals rather than confronting the larger structural forces that drive social ills. The Quick Fix is a 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.