Unseen: Blind Spots and Why We Miss What Matters Most

Blind spots “prevent us from seeing what is there or encourage us to see what is not” and are frequently at the root of traffic accidents, medical misdiagnoses, unreliable eyewitness testimony, and conspiracy theories, according to this illuminating exploration from neuropsychologist Lewis (Impulse) and magician Leyser. The authors describe many kinds of blind spots: some are “inattentional” and result from the brain’s selective filtering of a constant influx of sensory data, allowing stage magicians to put one over on audiences and potentially causing up to seven out of 10 car accidents. Other blind spots stem from ingrained stereotypes that prime the brain to see what it expects to, leading to such issues as unfair hiring practices (beautiful people are judged to be smarter and more trustworthy, and are more likely to be given jobs). Misinformation causes still other blind spots, with false stimuli—like doctored images and fake news stories—spurring the brain to fabricate corresponding false memories. The authors corral a broad range of examples, both serious and silly (famously, a woman saw the face of Jesus in a tortilla in 1977—an example of pareidolia, a related phenomenon where the brain interprets random shapes as familiar objects). Along the way, Lewis and Leyser show how subliminal priming influences the ways humans encounter the world, and provide commonsense strategies to avoid falling prey to such illusions and oversights. It’s a riveting and relevant work of pop psychology. (June)